A Fairytale
by Anjuli
Summary: When Legolas leaves his home for the first time to explore the world of men, he saves the live of a young king (guess who). For Legolas it’s love at first sight, but Aragorn doesn’t even know his saviour. He is just about to marry the lovely Lady Arwe
1. Default Chapter

Title: A Fairytale Author: Anjuli Rating: PG-13 (just to be save) Paring: Legolas/Aragorn Summary: When Legolas first leaves his home to explore the world of men, he saves the live of a young king (guess who). For Legolas it's love at first sight, but Aragorn doesn't even know his saviour. He is just about to marry the lovely Lady Arwen.Feedback: I would be honoured Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Tolkien/New Line, the storyline belongs to H.- Chr. Andersen, I just mixed them together. Warning: AU, meaning no Ring and therefore no fellowship; probably also OOC, character death in later chapter. Oh.and most likely lots of mistakes, although I tried my best. English is not my first language.  
A fairytale  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Far away from the dwellings of men, there once was a forest, greener than any other. The trees filtered so much of the sunlight, that the paths below them were always covered with shadows; the little sunlight that reached the ground was not enough to fully enlighten them. Therefore, the forest was called Mirkwood. In the heart in the forest lay the castle of king Thranduil of Mirkwood. It was more beautiful than any human could ever imagine; its walls were made of gleaming white stone, the roof of dark wood that was artfully decorated with golden paintings of ancient heroes. So white was the castle that travellers could see it shining in the sunlight long before they actually reached Thranduil's palace. It had been many centuries since anyone else than the elves living in Mirkwood had seen the shining castles. Once, there had been trading with the people from Rohan and Gondor, but as many envied Mirkwood's beauty, the elves had more and more kept to themselves and finally every link to the outside world was broken. Since those times, a powerful spell cast by king Thranduil protected the kingdom from any intruders and only very old humans had ever heard of Mirkwood the Great, believing it to be nothing more than a fairytale.  
  
The king had lost his wife a long time ago and therefore was both, father and mother for his three sons, of which the youngest was the most beautiful. This son, Legolas, had waist-long blond hair that shone bright in the sunlight, and a slim, muscular body. But the most enchanting thing was his eyes, which were as blue as the deepest lake.  
  
Legolas was a strange elfling; everyone living in Mirkwood could confirm that. In contrast to his brothers, who were said to be the liveliest children that ever existed, Legolas loved to walk through the forests with no other company than the birds. He could spend a whole day just sitting somewhere deep in the woods and listening to the songs of the birds. They told him tales of people and countries far away and Legolas wished nothing more than to be able to turn into a bird and just fly away. He longed to see the cities of men, of which he only knew from tales. Never had he seen a human.  
  
Therefore it was no surprise that Legolas was impatient like no other for his 100th birthday to come, because then he would reach his majority and finally be able to leave Mirkwood and explore the outside world.  
  
Lothion and Faelon, Legolas' brothers, were curious about the world outside the forest as well, although they were not as crazy about it as Legolas. Every evening they would sit in the library listening to their father who told tales of long forgotten heroes of men and long fallen kingdoms. This only added to the restlessness Legolas felt in his heart.  
  
Finally the day had come when Faelon had reached his majority. Early in the morning he left for the outside world. When Faelon returned, he told his brothers everything he had seen, just as he had promised. Faelon had dared to go very close to a human farm, where he had watched the bringing in of crops and the following feast. Legolas' eyes never left his brother, and his endless flow of questions was only stopped when Thranduil finally sent him to bed.  
  
Every brother was 5 years older than the other, which meant that Legolas had to wait another ten years before he could finally explore the wonders of the world for himself. Ten years might be nothing to other elves, for Legolas it was an eternity.  
  
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	2. chapter 2

Disclaimer: Middle Earth belongs to Tolkien/New Line, the original storyline belongs to H.-Chr. Andersen, Faelon (just) and Lothion (flower) belong to me. Legolas sings "Morning has broken" by Cat Stevens (I changed two words to make it fit in my story)

*blub* thoughts

'whatever' person speaks elfish 

"talk" normal speech

For warnings see chapter 1.

Hey, thanks for the kind reviews, you totally made my day. Hope you like this chapter. 

Chapter 2

The years passed and finally it was time for Lothion to leave his home for the first time. As the most careful one of the brothers, he didn't dare to go anywhere  near humans and rather explored the mountains, amazed how far one could see while standing on top of one. Therefore, when he returned home, he had completely different stories for his ever-curious younger brother than the ones Faelon had told.

Hearing about amazingly beautiful landscapes only added to Legolas' longing for finally seeing the wonders of Middle Earth for himself. Lothion must have noticed his brother's feelings. 'Have patience, little one,' he said in a kind voice, sounding almost like Thranduil, 'just ten more years and you will be free to go wherever you wish.'

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10 years later…

It was still dark outside when Legolas woke up, but he couldn't bring himself to return to sleep. Today he would finally leave Mirkwood behind to see the world outside, the world he had been dreaming about since he could remember. 

At sunrise, Legolas was summoned to his father's study. When he entered the room, Thranduil turned away from the window to face his son, an almost sad look in his eyes. He was not happy to let his youngest son go, but at the same time knew he had to. 'Legolas,' he began, 'I know how you have been waiting for this day and I understand your feelings. There are many wondrous things in this world, more than you can imagine. But there are also lots of dangers, so please do not take any unnecessary risks and, most important of all, stay away from humans. They have already betrayed us once and can not be trusted. Humans seem to have forgotten about Mirkwood's very existence and I intend to keep it that way…'

Legolas was too excited to pay much attention to his father's warnings. There was no need to listen anyway, as he had heard all that at least ten times during the last weeks. As if he still was some naïve elfling that could not take care of himself. *Well, I'm not!* he thought and after assuring his father that he would be most careful, he left the palace, feeling ready for everything the world might have in mind for him. 

Legolas rode without a special goal, letting his stallion decide where to go. It was a wonderful day: the sun was shining brightly and the birds were singing. 

Out of pure happiness about Middle Earth's beauty, Legolas started to sing:

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Morning has broken, like the first morning.  
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird.  
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning.  
Praise for them springing fresh from the world.

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The plants and animals around Legolas seemed to hold their breath to listen to his song. His voice was truly beautiful, putting everyone who heard it under a spell. Many said that Legolas possessed the most beautiful voice of all elves.   
  
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Sweet the rains new fall, sunlit from heaven.  
Like the first dewfall on the first grass.

Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden.  
Sprung in completeness where his feet pass.

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By now, Legolas had reached a small pond and decided to rest for a while. He sat down in the shade of an old oak-tree and tried to decide what he wanted to see first, Lothion's beloved mountains or the dwellings of men which had left Faelon deeply impressed.   
  


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Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning.  
Born of the one light Aman saw play.  
Praise with elation, praise ev`ry morning.  
Eru`s creation of the new day.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The decision was made for him when he suddenly heard a battle-cry. Following the sound, Legolas reached a nearby group of trees, where a traveller was fighting against 5 orcs. Just as the elf arrived at the scene, one of them managed to sneak up behind him and knock him unconscious. 

Not wasting anymore time, Legolas began to attack the orcs. Four of them fell from his arrows without even knowing what was happening. The last of the foul creatures ended up with a knife in his chest. 

Legolas knelt down beside the orcs' victim. He was still unconscious, but didn't seem to be seriously wounded. Therefore, the elf allowed himself to take a closer look at the victim's appearance. His dark hair was unkempt and the clothes had definitely seen better times. *Actually,* Legolas decided *there is nothing on this creature that looks new, or at least clean* But in spite of his messy appearance, the stranger was surrounded by an air of dignity. His face was neither old nor young, but certainly handsome. Legolas would have loved to see his eyes, but they were closed. Taking an even closer look, the elf noticed something strange: the stranger's ears were not pointed but perfectly round. From all Legolas had read in his father's library, he was looking at a human. 

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So what do you think of this chapter? Please review!

Response to reviews: 

**luckyduck71221:** Thank you so much. I left you a review. 

**ziggy** greenleaf:** Thanks a lot! You probably guessed who the man is. Legolas won't actually talk to him for another one or two chapters, though. Oh, and I really like your name, although it took me some time to figure out what ziggy means (not exactly my kind of music…)**


	3. chapter 3

Disclaimer: Middle Earth belongs to Tolkien/New Line, the base for my story  belongs to H.-Chr. Andersen.

For warnings see chapter 1.

First, I think I need to explain a few things about the relationship between men and elves. 

A long time ago, elves had a lively trade with men, but then some humans attacked Mirkwood because of they wanted its treasures for themselves. Since then, the Mirkwoodelves have kept to themselves.

The elves living in Rivendel and Lothlorien still have contact with men, although meetings are quite rare. In contrast to humans, they naturally know of Mirkwood's existence, but they respect Thranduil's wish and do not mention it in front of humans. 

Now that this is (hopefully) clear, on with the story: 

Legolas considered his options. If this was indeed a human –and he was certain about that-, then the laws of Mirkwood required that he left immediately, before this man woke up and saw him. But he didn't want to leave the unconscious, injured man alone, as it was entirely possible that more enemies were near. 

Again, the decision was taken from him, this time by the sound of approaching horses.  Legolas, realizing that he alone could not hope to survive a direct confrontation with so many enemies, climbed a near tree. If those were indeed enemies, his bow would be ready for them. 

A few moments later, five humans entered the clearing, noticing the injured figure on the ground immediately. All of them wore a sword at their side, but they did not look unfriendly and so Legolas decided to stay in his tree and see what they would do. 

He watched one of them, apparently the leader, dismount and kneel down at "his" human's side. Said human chose exactly this moment to wake up and Legolas was now finally able to see his eyes, steel blue eyes that caused a strange feeling somewhere in the elf's stomach  a feeling Legolas couldn't identify, but it felt certainly good and so he just kept staring at those eyes.

Something seemed to greatly upset the other human, because he began to shout orders in a language unknown to Legolas. He somehow seemed to know the injured one and was now talking to him in a worried tone. To both Legolas' and the man's relief, the other responded. 

As they were speaking in the tongue of men, Legolas did not understand anything of the conversation, but he managed to catch the names they called each other: the kneeling one was called Faramir and the name of the injured one was Aragorn. 

While the two were talking, Faramir's men were busy preparing a camp for the night. Legolas, still sitting in the tree, did not believe that those men had any intentions to hurt Aragorn, but he decided to watch them a bit longer, just to make certain. So he made himself comfortable on his branch and prepared for a long night. 

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Aragorn felt as if something very heavy had made a pillow of his head, maybe an oliphant or something like it, he didn't bother to figure out exactly what it was. Thinking only made the pain worse, he realized and therefore tried to stop it. It would have been nice to return to the comforting darkness, but now that he was awake, his headache  wouldn't let him.  The man felt a presence at his side and tried to open his eyes. Strange enough, he managed that without causing his head anymore pain. 

The first thing he saw was a pair of concerned eyes looking at him. Those eyes belonged to a somewhat familiar face and Aragorn realised that he was looking at his chief counsellor, Faramir. 

"Oh Aragorn, what happened to you?" Aragorn considered this question for a while and slowly his memories came back… One of those cursed orcs must have knocked him unconscious, but then why was he still alive? He noticed the dead bodies and figured that his men must have shot them. 

Realizing that he still had not answered Faramir's question, Aragorn managed what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Do not worry, I'm alright. Some orcs managed to surprise me." His smile did not seem to have the intended effect, Faramir still looked worried. "I can't see any serious wounds, but I think we should wait a few days until we return to Gondor. You are in absolutely no condition for such a long journey." 

"But we can not stay here, the orcs that attacked me are dead, but we don't know how much more might be around. "  

"I suggest that we wait until sunrise and then make for Lothlorien. It's only a two days' trip and the elves will certainly help us. There we can wait until you have recovered enough to return home." 

Aragorn was about to argue that he was perfectly capable of journeying to Gondor immediately, but he knew better than to argue with his friend when he had that certain look on his face. It was actually quite amusing that the mighty king of Gondor took orders from his chief advisor, and Aragorn would have laughed, had his headache permitted it. 

Later that night, Aragorn was just about to go to sleep when Faramir approached him, looking somewhat confused. He held something in his hand –an arrow, Aragorn realized. 

"Aragorn, is this one of your arrows?", Faramir asked. 

The arrow was made of a light-coloured wood and decorated with beautiful ornaments that looked elfish to Aragorn. It looked more like a piece of art, than a weapon. He shook his head. "I never saw an arrow like that, what makes you think it is mine?" 

Faramir looked even more confused than before. "Arrows like that have killed four of your attackers." 

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So what do you think? Please review! 

Response to reviews: 

**Nina: **Thanks a lot. :-)

**Lomelinde****: I looked this challenge up and you are right, this is _really close to my story. Funny, I swear I didn't know it. Oh and thanks for the nice review, but I'm afraid you will not like the ending I have in mind… _**

**Gabriel: **The story I use as a base is a quite famous fairy-tale. Maybe you know that one. Thanks anyway. 

**Elanor****: Thank you so much. **


	4. chapter 4

Disclaimer: Middle Earth belongs to Tolkien/New Line, the original storyline belongs to H.-Chr. Andersen, Faelon (just) and Lothion (flower) belong to me. 

For warnings see chapter 1. 

Chapter 4

Legolas didn't know why he followed the men when they moved on the next day. He knew that nothing bad would happen to Aragorn while being in the care of Faramir's men, but he couldn't help feeling responsible for the injured human. Not even to himself did he admit that he would have crossed the whole Middle Earth on foot if it would have given him an opportunity to see those eyes again. 

So the elf followed the small party of humans until they reached the borders of Lothlorien. There he had to stay behind, because there was no chance that the guards would miss his presence if he were to enter the Golden Wood and Legolas did not want to explain to anybody why exactly he was following the humans, least of all to the Lady Galadriel. How could he explain something like this under the knowing gaze of the lady when he himself did not fully understand his actions?

Apart from that, he had seen how Faramir had presented his arrow to Aragorn and momentarily worried that they would deceive him, until he remembered that it was most unlikely that anyone outside Mirkwood knew whom they belonged to. The sudden appearance of an arrow with unknown markings _and a prince of Mirkwood carrying a quiver full of similar arrows, however, would be a completely different matter. _

So Legolas decided that it was time for him to return home. His father would surely already be worried sick, although he had been gone for only five days. The young prince knew very well that his father still saw him as a child, a fact that would probably never change. He would always be "Thranduil's little boy" and was actually glad for his father's love. One more reason not to further break Thranduil's laws and leave the humans be. 

It was late evening when Legolas finally reached Mirkwood a few days later and just as expected, Thranduil was overjoyed when his favourite son returned. Legolas barely found time to change clothes and have something to eat before he found himself sitting in a chair in the great hall with both his brothers and his father who wanted to hear everything the prince had done in the ten days he had been gone. Legolas told them everything except a few minor details like how he saved an injured man… Instead he concentrated on a detailed description of the landscapes he had passed. 

Weeks passed and everything seemed to be just as it was before Legolas' journey. The young prince was cheerful and kind as ever, gracing every feast with at least one of his songs. But if one would have been able to read Legolas' mind, he would have gotten a different picture. The young elf couldn't forget the injured human. *Aragorn* to the prince the sound of this name seemed to be the most wonderful thing he had ever heard. When he lay awake at night, it was this name that repeated over and over in his mind and in his memory Aragorn's face seemed to become even nobler. But most of all, he still remembered the man's eyes. How was it possible for a mortal to have such enchanting eyes? There was no more denying it, Legolas was totally in love with the human; he had accepted that long ago. Inside he felt nothing but longing to see Aragorn again, just one more time, for he knew that it was impossible for them to be together, for Legolas was a Mirkwood-elf and as such bound to the rules of his people. He might have stretched them a bit by saving the human and following him, but his love and respect for Thranduil wouldn't let him break those rules by actually letting the man see him. 

Legolas hid all those worries well and for a long time nobody noticed, but after a few month he just couldn't take it anymore and decided to confide in his brothers. It was in the middle of the night, but he couldn't wait any longer and quickly made his way to Lothion's bedroom. Luckily, he found both his brothers in the room, Lothion standing and brushing his hair and Faelon sitting on the bed. Ignoring the questioning looks his brothers gave him, he just sat down next to Faelon and without giving them time to voice their questions, Legolas just started. He told them about the orcs, about the human and mostly about his feelings barely taking time to breathe and his brothers just listened.

When he was finished, there was a long silence in the room. 

"You really managed to get yourself in trouble, young one, but then again, this has always been one of your talents." Faelon finally said, trying to ease the tenseness; and it worked. He got slight smiles from both of his brothers. 

"We have to do something, if you continue like that you will surely die from grief;" stated the ever sensible Lothion.

"I just have to see him again. I know we can not be together, but…I just don't know." 

"I actually think it would be better for you to just forget what has happened, but I can see in your eyes that you will try to find this man anyway, so there is no reason why we shouldn't help you. This way you will find him quicker and we can at the same time make sure that you don't do anything foolish." Faelon nodded in agreement to his brother's statement. Unable to but his thankfulness in words, Legolas just smiled. There was no way his brothers would let him sleep alone this night and so the three of them shared the luckily quite large bed.   It was a still mystery to Legolas, how they were going to find that man, but he was sure they would find a way. And for the first time in months, Legolas felt something close to hope in his heart. 

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So, what do you think? Please review!

Response to reviews: 

**Nina: **I'm not sure, Aragorn was unconscious, after all, but I think he will remember something (maybe a dream). 

**Mydogisfudge****: thanks a lot **

**Gabriel:** Thanks again. 

**Glorfindel's Angel of Mercy: [**by the way: great name :-)] Wow, thank you so much! I hope you also enjoy the rest of the story. 


	5. chapter 5

Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Tolkien/New Line, the storyline belongs to H.- Chr. Andersen, Legolas' brothers belong to me. 

For warnings see chapter 1 

"normal speech"

*thoughts*

'elvish'

Chapter 5

Legolas still couldn't believe that he really was on his way to Gondor. It had taken his brothers only a few days to find out that the man he had described could be no one but Aragorn, king of Gondor. He didn't know how they had managed that, Faelon had just mumbled something about "connections", but he didn't care. All that mattered now was that he would be able to see his beloved once more. 

It was almost evening when Minas Tirith finally came into view. The white city of men truly was a sight to behold especially now, when the light of the sinking sun coloured its towers and the palace bright red. The elf stopped for a while to take in the view. When the last daylight had finally vanished, he pulled his hood even deeper in his face and entered the city. 

Nobody noticed the slender figure that made its way in the direction of the palace, not even the guards that were supposed to prevent people from entering the king's gardens. Everything was so much easier than Legolas had expected and his luck seemed to continue. From a huge tree near the palace he was able to spy in the rooms and it didn't take long until he found what he was looking for: the king's bedchamber. 

Aragorn was sitting at his desk, wearing a casual dark red tunic and matching black leggings. It seemed like he was still working on some papers, ignoring the late hour. Legolas smiled *just like father***, **he thought. But the most important thing was that there was no sign that Aragorn shared this room with anybody else. Was it really possible that this man was without a mate? *Why do I care? He's a king of men and I am a prince of Mirkwood. There is no way for us to be together. * Legolas mentally slapped himself. If he continued like that he would really loose his heart to the man and end up heartbroken. *As if it wasn't already too late. Why don't I just admit that my heart no longer belongs to me* Legolas knew that this was true and deep in his heart he also knew that this love could not possibly have a good ending, but he also knew that it was far too late to fight his feelings. He had given his heart to this man that didn't know he existed, and now there was no turning back. 

Maybe Aragorn had felt that someone was watching him, because now he lifted his head and looked directly at the window. Legolas sat perfectly still, hoping the man wouldn't spot him in the darkness, and once more, he was lucky. After a few moments the man turned his attention back to his papers. The elf knew he should have been relieved, but a part of him wished that the man had spotted him in the branches. He had no idea how he would have explained the fact that he was spying at the king of Gondor, but that would have been a minor problem if he had just got a chance to speak to Aragorn. 

He could, of course, just announce his presence; but that would have meant directly breaking his father's laws and Legolas still couldn't bring himself to do that. Strictly seen, he had already broken the law by entering the city, but actually contacting men would be close to treachery. 

Maybe Legolas still would have done it. The man looked just as noble as he remembered, maybe even more so as he wasn't wounded and wore clean clothes, but just in this moment Faramir entered with a knock and the moment was ruined. Legolas couldn't believe he had been about to reveal himself. *If I continue like this I will surely loose my mind. I would have betrayed my family's trust had Faramir not come. I should forget this foolish obsession and stay away from this man.*

The prince's good intentions didn't last long. To his credit must be said that he really tried to ignore his emotions, but he had no chance. After a few weeks he found himself on his way to Gondor once more, this time without telling anyone, not even his brothers, where he was going. From now on he followed the man's every move. He saw how Aragorn reigned his people, and he managed to learn enough of this strange human tongue to understand what the man was saying. Everything he heard only added to his admiration for the man. He seemed to be a wise and just king for his people and, in spite of being rather calm, gifted storyteller in private. Only few got to see this private part of the king, as he had not many close friends, although being popular. His most trusted friends were Faramir and his brother Boromir, who also was steward of Gondor. Still no sign of an eventual love the man might have. 

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A year had passed since Legolas had first left his home and it was spring again. Legolas was alone in his room and gazed out of the window. He had just returned from one of his trips to Gondor and was now preparing for lunch. The beautiful weather did not fit the elf-prince's sadness at all, the bright sunlight shining through the windows seemed to make fun of his dark thoughts. Legolas knew that he couldn't continue like this for much longer. His father was already wondering why he spent so little time at home and even if this wouldn't have been the case, each time he watched his beloved from afar, it pained his heart even more. There were only two ways: He could try to forget his love and probably die from grief or he could try everything in his power to win the man's heart. All or nothing. For Legolas, who was after all a warrior, nothing was an option. Therefore, he decided to confess his feelings to Thranduil directly after the meal. 

This lunch seemed to be the longest in Legolas' life, but finally it ended. 'Father, may I have a word with you?' 

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So what do you think? Please review!

Response to reviews:

****

Glorfindel's Angel of Mercy: Thanks again, you are so impossibly nice :-). The base for my story is "The little mermaid" (similar to "Arielle", but with a different ending…and no singing fish). Mmmhh… Glorfindel in the fellowship would have been great, but then there wouldn't have been any reason for Legolas to join them and that would have been a shame, don't you think? 

****

Nina: Poor Legolas will actually suffer quite a lot…He will meet Aragorn soon, though. 

****

gabriel: Thanks once more. You're right, this "missplaced frustration" is really frustrating. But Aragorn will suffer for it. *evil grin*

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Lomelinde: Thanks again. They will actually meet in one or two chapters, I think. Oh, and of course I understand that you don't have time to review every chapter. I don't think I will continue updating this fast, I just don't have much else to do at the moment. 

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mydogisfudge: Thanks for reviewing. 

****


	6. chapter 6

Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Tolkien/New Line, the base for my story belongs to H.- Chr. Andersen. Legolas' brothers belong to me. 

For warnings see chapter 1

*blub* thoughts

'whatever' person speaks elfish 

"talk" normal speech

Chapter 6

'You can not be serious!' Thranduil had heard his son without interrupting him, but when Legolas requested the permission to actually meet this human, he could not hold his temper any longer. 'It is bad enough that you were so foolish to follow this man and spy on him, imagine what would have happened if someone had caught you? You endangered the whole kingdom! And now you actually want to make yourself known to this man. Have you forgotten everything I have told you about men?'

Legolas was desperate. If he couldn't convince his father, he would never see Aragorn again. 'You have to believe me, father, this man is not like those who betrayed your trust long ago. He is wise, noble and just. I am certain that you would like him if you just gave him a chance!' 

Thranduil would have been outraged if anyone else than his favourite son would have dared to speak to him like that, but he understood that his son didn't want to offend him. To a certain point, he even understood Legolas' feelings and he wished there was a way for him to help his son, but he could and would not break the rules he himself had invented to protect his people, not even for Legolas. 'Believe me, I know how you feel and I am truly sorry, but I can not allow this. It would endanger our people. I trust that in time you will see this for yourself, but until you have overcome this…crush of yours, I think it is better if you stay here.'

'But father…'

'I believe I made myself clear. You will not see this human again and until I say otherwise, you are not allowed to leave the kingdom.' And with that, the king left the room, leaving his son behind. 

The rational part of Legolas' mind knew that his father was right, that Thranduil only had done what he deemed best for both his realm and his son. But there was another, bigger part of Legolas' mind, that refused to accept this. He loved this man with all his heart, how could feelings that were so strong and felt so right be wrong? 

To ease his pain, Legolas did what he always had done when he felt sad as a child: He took a long, lonely walk in the forest. But even his beloved trees could not take away the pain in his heart. *Is this how it feels when one's heart breaks?* 

It was already dark when Legolas finally stopped walking. Lost in his thoughts, he wandered far deeper into the forest than ever before. *Actually, this place looks like no one has been here for at least a few centuries* 

"Oh, but I come here quite often. I like the solitude of this spot."

Legolas jumped at the sudden voice from behind. Turning around, he saw that it belonged to an old man that was looking at Legolas with a kind expression on his wrinkled face. Something about this expression seemed false, but Legolas was much too exhausted to think about details like that.

"Why is it that such a kind soul as the youngest prince of Mirkwood is suffering so much pain?"

Legolas became slightly irritated. It was almost like this man could read his thoughts. "What do you know about my soul? Who are you and what are you doing here?"

The kind smile didn't leave the strangers face for a second. "My name is Saruman and I was merely enjoying the solitude of the forest. As for your other questions...you've actually already found the answer for yourself. I do indeed read your thoughts as long as you do not shut your mind against me. Apart from that, I am an old friend of your father's, although I have not seen Thranduil for quite a long time."

"What happened?" In spite of his sorrow, Legolas couldn't help but beeing curious. 

"Oh, we had a...slight disagreemant about something I can't even remember. As you probably know, your father can be quite stubborn. Discussion became argument and in the end we both yelled that we never wanted to see each other again."

Once again, Legolas had the feeling that something was not right with this strange old man. There was something he did not tell him. But he had such an alluring voice...only listening to it seemed to ease Legolas' pain.

"You didn't answer my question young prince. What troubles you so?" 

Trusting Saruman seemed so easy. Later, Legolas could never recall how exactly it happened, but somehow he found himself telling this stranger everything about his misery. Saruman listened with interest and after Legolas had finished he quiety thought about this for a long time. Finally he spoke. "If I understand you right, you are hopelessly in love with this human but the two of you can not be together because the king of Mirkwood has human-phobia."

"My father only does what he thinks best. He would never hurt anyone on purpose, least of all me."

If possible, Sarumans smile became even kinder. "I meant no offence, I just think it unfair that you have to suffer because some humans betrayed Thranduil's trust centuries ago."

At this, the sad expression returned to Legolas' eyes. "He is probably right. I am sure Aragorn would never do such a thing, but not all humans are like him. The risk for Mirkwood is to great."

This statement caused Saruman to return to his thoughts, giving the elf some time to think. *Why exactly am I telling him all this? I've only just met him. But it is so easy to confide in him...* Legolas turned his attention back to the man, who was now looking at him with a thoughtful expression. "How much exactly would you be willing to sacrifice for your love?"

"For Aragorn, I would gladly give everything I posses, even my life, but I told you it can never be. Why are you torturing me with your questions?"

"...What would you say if I told you that I might know a way for you to meet your beloved?"

Legolas had not expected this answer. For a long moment, his whole body seemed to be frozen. Finally he managed one single word: "How?"

"I am not entirely sure if this will work, and even if it does, the price will be high."

"I told you there is nothing I wouldn't do! Tell me." The sorrow in Legolas' eyes was now replaced by hope.

Saruman took his time to study the prince's expression before he finally answered. "You can not be with the one you love because you are an elf. So there is only one solution...if you wish it, I can turn this beautiful body of yours into that of a human."

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So...what do you think? Please review!

Response to reviews:

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Lomelinde: Thanks again. As I said, Aragorn will (hopefully) show up in the next chapter, Arwen will come later and of coures she's messing up Aragorn's and Legolas' relationship. When did she ever do anything else? ;-)

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mari-chan: Thank and of course you are right, it's the little mermaid. (not Arielle though, the original story.)

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gabriel: yes, I love this tale, too. 

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Nina: And you were totally right about Thranduil's reaction... 

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goldmund: Sorry, but I just had to make Thranduil reacting like that and I actually love the ending of the little mermaid *hint*. I am thinking about some kind of sequel, though, as I start to feel more and more sorry for Legolas myself. 

**mydogisfudge: **Thanks. What else was poor Legolas supposed to do? 


	7. chapter 7

Disclaimer: Middle Earth belongs to Tolkien/New Line, the original storyline belongs to H.-Chr. Andersen, Faelon (just) and Lothion (flower) belong to me. 

Sorry, no Aragorn in this chapter. Saruman just wouldn't stop talking. 

*blub* thoughts

'whatever' person speaks elfish 

"talk" normal speech

For warnings see chapter 1.

Chapter 7

Saruman had waited centuries for such an opportunity. Finally he would be able to get his revenge on Thranduil for crossing his plans. The wizard had started to believe that he would never be able to show his most hated enemy what it meant to get in his way, but just when he had lost all hope, Thranduil's youngest son had been silly enough to loose his heart to a human. 

It hadn't taken long for Saruman to think of the perfect plan. He would give the little prince a human body, which meant that Thranduil would never see his darling again. But the fun didn't end there. Saruman was well aware that the human king had lost his heart while being in Lothlorien. Legolas would fail and he would take great pleasure in his suffering. The only problem was that Legolas had to agree to his plan on free will, but this should not be a problem, given his mental condition. 

In spite of his hate, Saruman was speaking to the prince with nothing but kindness in his face.  Right now, he was searching Legolas' face for any kind of reaction to his suggestion. The young prince seemed to be shocked. *But he didn't immediately reject my offer, so he is interested…*

"I can not do this. Even if it was possible for me to become human, as you say, it would mean that I had to leave Mirkwood forever. I would never see my brothers again and my father… "

"Don't you think they would want you to be happy?" Saruman had been prepared for protests. "You say they love you, doesn't that mean they want you to be happy? And after all you have told me, you can not be happy in Mirkwood ever again."

"But…" The wizard noticed with satisfaction that Legolas' protest began to weaken. 

"Think about it. Have you ever been really satisfied with your life? Even long before meeting Aragorn, since you were but a child, you dreamed about leaving. I give you the chance to both make this dreams come true and be with the one you love."

"But I _do _like my life, I like being with my brothers and ada has always been good to me. He always gave me everything I could wish for…"

Saruman began to grow impatient. The little prince was much more resistant than he had thought. *Well, but it won't help him* 

"Sure, continue to fool yourself and everyone else. If you just continue to tell you that you are the happiest person in this world, maybe you might believe it in a few millennia. Even the pain in your heart might stop then, because everything inside you that is able to feel will have died." At this point, Saruman noticed Legolas' shocked face and continued in a more gentle voice. "Don't be stupid Legolas. You have followed the rules of your people all your live. Do you not think you deserve some happiness and love? And you do want to agree to my offer, don't you? I know you want more than your father's treasures. Your soul longs for freedom; I can see it in your eyes. You want to be where the people are, you want to dance with them, stroll down a street without hiding under a hood. You wish to wander through this world freely. And above all, of course, you want to be with the one you love. The only reason for making you even think of rejecting my offer is because you do not want to sadden your family. But you forget that seeing you heartbroken saddens them more than anything else. You can not possibly sadden them anymore by leaving."

When Saruman looked at Legolas to see the effect of his little speech, he knew immediately that he had won. 

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If Legolas had felt a little less pain or if Saruman's voice had been a little less enchanting he might have asked how this man could possibly know all this when they had met just two hours ago, but the elf's mind refused to work properly. Of course, the small part of his mind that agreed with Saruman was functioning perfectly. Every word he had said was true; there was no use in denying that. Legolas desperately wanted to accept Saruman's offer, and he was too exhausted to fight his desire any more. "How are you planning to do this?"

Legolas didn't see the triumph in Saruman's eyes. "It is quite easy. I will prepare you a potion and after consuming it your body will change into a human one."

"This doesn't sound too bad."

"Oh, but there are some things you have to know". The wizard's voice was full of fake concern. "Becoming human means more than loosing your ear points, you will also become mortal and your senses will not be that sharp anymore, though still sharper than those of normal humans. Are you sure you want this?"

Legolas had finally made his decision. "I am willing to do everything necessary to be with Aragorn."

"Good. We will meet again tomorrow, but do not tell anyone about our agreement, or they will try to stop you." With this, Saruman vanished between the trees. 

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24 hours later…

Legolas was waiting impatiently for the wizard to appear. Once his decision was made, he just wanted to get through with this. He checked once more if he had everything: Some food, clothes, his weapons and some gold. Legolas felt guilty for stealing from his father, but he needed money and it was of course impossible for him to ask. 

"Ah, I see you have prepared yourself." 

Just like the day before, Legolas jumped at the sudden voice, but managed to say in a quite calm voice "I have been waiting, I want to get this done as fast as possible." 

At this, Saruman couldn't suppress a chuckle. "You are too impatient, young prince. There are still a few things you need to know."

"What? Didn't you tell me everything yesterday?"

"Not everything…there are a few more…details…"

"Details?"

"You must realize that you are human. The spell may be undone, but should you die in your human body, your spirit will not go to Mandos' halls and never forget: should your beloved happen to marry someone else, your heart will break and when the sun rises on the day after, you will be dead."

Legolas was visibly disturbed by those "details", as Saruman had put it. "And you didn't think of telling me that before?"

"I did not want to unnecessarily worry you. And you said that you were willing to do anything. Have you changed your mind?"

Taking a deep breath, Legolas shook his head. "It does not matter. I don't care what happens after my death as long as I can spend my life with Aragorn and I will make him love me and no one else."

"Good. Just one more thing…as long as you are human, you will be mute."

Legolas had already heard too much to be shocked by this statement, so he merely asked "Mute? Why that?" 

"You must win the man's heart just as a human would. Using that beautiful elfish voice of yours would be cheating, and as I can't change your voice, you will have to give it up. Now that you know all this, are you still willing to proceed?"   
Legolas answered with a nod and Saruman handed him the potion and with this, the wizard was gone. Legolas hesitated a few seconds before he took a deep breath to calm himself and then swallowed the liquid. 

For a few moments nothing happened, but then Legolas felt like his veins were no longer filled with blood but with ice. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was a silvery glow on his skin. 

It was already dark when Legolas awoke. He didn't feel much different, but he soon noticed that something had indeed changed. The moon was high in the night sky, but he could not see further than a few meters, the familiar sounds of the night sounded no longer comforting but somewhat scaring. Legolas tried to raise his spirits with a song, but when he opened his mouth, no sound came out. *So it's done. I am human. I have to leave Mirkwood before anyone finds me* Not wasting anymore time, Legolas started to walk, avoiding all dwellings of his people. 

By dawn, Legolas finally reached the borders. There lay the road that would finally bring him to Gondor, to his new life. Legolas started walking without once looking back, for he feared that, if he did, he would not have the strength to go.

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Please review! 

Response to reviews:

**Glorfindel's Angel of Mercy: **What can I say? Thanks again. Hopefully, Aragorn will finally meet Legolas in the next chapter.

**Nina: **and once again you are absolutely right… 

**Lomelinde****: Saruman with black tentacles…bad mental picture…anyway, thanks again. I really tried to get that song in the story, but it was just too ridiculous. However, it was a great inspiration for Saruman's speech. **

**gabriel**: **Thanks again. I'm glad most people liked the idea with a human Legolas.**

**mydogisfudge****: I'm afraid Legolas will stay like that for the rest of the story, sorry if it offends you.  **


	8. chapter 8

Disclaimer: Middle Earth belongs to Tolkien/New Line; the original storyline belongs to H.-Chr. Andersen.

*thoughts* 

'elfish'  

"normal speech" 

For warnings see chapter 1.

Just in case you want to know: Gavin is an old Irish name. It means "graceful from birth on".

Chapter 8

Legolas' journey was rather uneventful, and he was now only a few more days away from Minas Tirith. He took the way he knew so well from his previous "visits" to Aragorn, avoiding contact with others as much as possible. He knew that he would have to be with humans eventually, at the latest when he reached his destination, but Legolas wanted to wait until he felt a little less uncomfortable in his new body. Not only did he tire much quicker and felt the cold wind much keener, his movements were also rather clumsy, compared to the grace that came natural to elves.

It came to his mind that he should test if he still possessed his skills with the bow. Sensing no presence nearby, he stopped, readied his bow and aimed at a tree. To Legolas' satisfaction, the arrow hit the trunk only millimetres away from its centre. *Well, not perfect but it should be enough.* 

"That was quite a good shot." The sudden voice made Legolas whirl around in shock, but this was nothing compared to what he felt when he saw who had interrupted him. The intruder apparently noticed his distress: "My apologies, I didn't mean to frighten you." In spite of his polite words, Legolas could hear the amusement in his voice and mentally slapped himself *I am making a fool of myself, if I continue like this, he will think I am totally stupid.* But then again, who could have blamed him for his reaction, considering the fact that the princes' beloved seemed to have suddenly appeared out of nowhere. For the man was no other than Aragorn. He was now dressed in a casual green tunic and matching brown leggings, looking, in Legolas' opinion, even better than in formal robes. 

"Have you lost your tongue?" Legolas was about to open his mouth to reply when he remembered that he was mute. So he merely smiled, pointed at his mouth and then shook his head to indicate that he couldn't speak and to his relief the man understood. "I am truly sorry; I meant no offence with my words." Then he added with a smile "But I seem to completely have forgotten my manners today, I didn't even introduce myself. I'm Aragorn." 

Of course, Legolas already knew that, so he simply continued smiling. He couldn't have done anything else at the moment, even if his life depended on it, for he was totally occupied with staring at the man. He was almost glad that his muteness gave him an excuse to stay silent, because he seriously doubted the he would have been able to manage more than stuttered nonsense. 

The man seemed to be unaware of the reaction he had caused and was now looking at the horizon, where the sun slowly disappeared. "It is time to make camp for the night. I suggest that we stay together. Not all travellers in this area are friendly and four eyes are better than one." Seeing Legolas nod, he continued. "Good. It's nice to have some company after spending one month alone in the wilderness." Once more, Legolas could do nothing but smile.

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Aragorn was watching his companion over the campfire. Something seemed to be not quite right about this boy, although he could not put a finger on it. He assumed that the boy was about 18, 20 at the most. He was beautiful with his long blond hair, the slim body and deep blue eyes and had Aragorn not seen him shooting at the tree, he would never have guessed that the boy possessed any fighting skills. 

Aragorn realized that the boy was now meeting his gaze and felt slightly embarrassed. "I…was wondering about your name. We have met hours ago and I still do not know how to call you." The man had an idea. "Can you write?" The answer was a nod and so he got paper and pen from his package and handed them to the other. "Please, I would like to know your name, where you come from and where you are going, if you want to tell me?" 

Legolas hesitantly looked at the paper. What was he supposed to write? He couldn't tell his real name or where he came from. Why hadn't he thought about a believable lie before? 

Aragorn took his hesitation as mistrust and therefore decided to start with information about himself. "You already know my and if it interests you I am from Gondor and on my way home. I was wandering around to get a break from duties and manners." He didn't say that he was the king of Gondor, because he thought it might frighten the boy. How was he supposed to know that Legolas already knew?

In the meantime, Legolas had finally made up his mind. He wrote:

                 Gavin, from Esgaroth, going to Minas Tirith

Well, Esgaroth was at least not too far from the truth. The answer seemed to satisfy Aragorn for the moment. "It seems then that we are going to travel together. " Then the man smiled at him. "It's nice to meet you, Gavin."

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So what do you think? Please review!  

Response to reviews:

**jacobs_angel86: **Thank you so much. 

**gabriel: **Thanks again

**Glorfindel's Angel of Mercy: **Aragorn is finally there, so you don't have to wait any longer, but thanks anyway. 

**Nina:** I'm not sure about the ending yet, so I can't promise anything. But I am thinking about a happy ending. 

**Kiwi****: Thanks a lot****. **


	9. chapter 9

Disclaimer: Middle Earth belongs to Tolkien/New Line, the original storyline belongs to H.-Chr.

*thoughts*

written words 

"normal speech"

For warnings see chapter 1.

Chapter 9

Aragorn had been travelling with Gavin for a week now and they would reach Minas Tirith the next evening, so this was the last time they prepared a campfire for the night. With Aragorn being the king of Gondor it would have been easy for them to find shelter in one of the farmhouses, but it was a wonderful night, with not one cloud covering the stars and Aragorn wanted to spend some more time alone with the boy. 

Right now, Gavin was writing something while Aragorn was watching him over the fire, like he had done so many times before. During their journey he had become more and more attached to the youngster. It normally took the king a long time to trust someone, but talking to Gavin seemed so easy, although, or maybe because, the boy couldn't answer. The boy had a gift that was very rare even among old and supposedly wise people, but totally amazing on someone that young: He could listen, it just felt natural to tell him everything that was on your mind. Aragorn had told him that he was the king of Gondor on their second evening, a bit afraid that Gavin might be angry with him for keeping it a secret, but he had only found understanding in those eyes. His eyes…where had he seen eyes like that before? It was strange, Aragorn was sure he had never met Gavin before, for who could forget such beauty? And yet, the boy seemed somewhat familiar, like a long forgotten dream that had become reality. *Is this the solution? Have I dreamed about him? But why would I dream about someone I've never seen? It just doesn't make sense…* A small stone that landed in his lap brought Aragorn back to reality. Gavin had obviously been trying to get his attention for quite a while now. He was holding a paper for Aragorn. 

What is it that troubles you? So the boy had noticed his brooding. Great, what was he supposed to say? He decided to tell a halflie and speak about something that also troubled his mind, though not at the moment. 

"I told you that I was wandering around as a ranger to escape my duties for a short while, but this was not the entire truth, it was also to taste freedom for maybe the last time in my life. My advisors want me to wed so that my people gets a queen and heirs, and I understand their reasoning, but it also means that I will have to stay in Minas Tirith most of the time, for it just wouldn't be fair if I were to leave my wife and children behind just to go on adventures, but I love my life as it is. I'm not saying I won't fulfill my duties as a king, but it just doesn't feel right to give up my life for someone I've never met." 

Seeing that Gavin was listening attentively, he continued. "It was decided that my uncle's daughter would be a perfect match for me, the lady Arwen is supposed to be polite, intelligent and, of course, extraordinarily beautiful."

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Legolas had difficulties to keep his face calm. If the lady Arwen, the evenstar of all elves, was Aragorn's cousin, then his uncle must be lord Elrond of Rivendell, which meant that Aragorn was halfelven and therefore immortal. And here he was, without a home, without family, without his voice, in a human body only to find out that all this would have been unnecessary if he had just known about the man's heritage. Even Thranduil might have accepted a half elf as his mate. But maybe it wasn't too late? Saruman had said that the spell could somehow be undone. If he told the man now, maybe everything would be all right… He was just about to reach for a paper when Aragorn continued and with every word he said, a small part of Legolas' heart seemed to die: 

"I already know that I can never be happy with the lady Arwen, because my heart is no longer mine to give. You remember the orc-attack I told you about? I was brought to Lothlorien for recovery and there I saw the most beautiful maiden that ever lived. She didn't speak to me, but she smiled. Maybe you think me stupid for falling in love with someone that quickly, but I am sure someday you will experience for yourself how one gesture, one smile can be enough to let you know that this is the person you want to spend your life with. You should have seen her skin and her shining eyes…"

Legolas didn't want to hear anymore of the lady's qualities. So Aragorn was in love with someone else, how foolish if him to assume that someone like the king of Gondor would live alone in all eternity. How naive could one person be? This all had to be a cruel joke of faith and Legolas was paying the price. 

"…" The prince snapped out of his dreams and gave the man a questioning look. "I asked if you will stay with me until the wedding is over. Faramir is out on some diplomatic mission and it would be nice to have at least one person in the castle that I consider a real friend." 

Legolas felt like he would die immediately. How was it possible to suffer so much pain? First, Aragorn told him of his love for another and now he was actually supposed to witness him marry the lady Arwen, knowing that the ceremony would be his death. But Legolas loved the man and Aragorn needed his support and so he did the only thing he could: He nodded, forcing an encouraging smile on his face. 

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So what do you think? Please review?

Response to reviews:

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DreamWeaver: Thank you so much!

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Nina: I will explain about Legolas' family in a later chapter. 

**Glorfindel's Angel of Mercy****: **Thanks once more. 

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Judy: Thanks a lot, hope you like this chapter. 


	10. chapter 10

Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Tolkien/New Line, the storyline belongs to H.- Chr. Andersen.

For warnings see chapter 1 

"normal speech"

*thoughts*

'elfish'

Chapter 10

It was a wonderful day and the sun was shining brightly, making the white city look even more beautiful than usual. Those who did not have to work were outside, enjoying what was probably one of the last warm days before the long, cold winter. But not everyone was happy. 

Faramir was looking out of the window for about the twentieth time within the last hour. Aragorn should have returned two days ago. He was not really worried, not yet, because his king was a skilled warrior and certainly capable of taking care about himself. Besides, it was not unusual that Aragorn spent more time travelling the lands than he had actually planned; he was simply not made for court life. Faramir and his brother Boromir normally took over the king's duties while he was gone, but this time was different. Elrond and his daughter would arrive tomorrow evening, what was he supposed to say when Aragorn was not there to greet his uncle and bride-to-be? He could imagine his encounter with the elven lord: "I'm terribly sorry, but your nephew is not interested in marrying at all and preferred hiding in the woods over meeting your daughter." Not for the first time he was wondering why exactly he had agreed to become Aragorn's chief counsellor when Arathorn was killed during an orc-attack. With a sigh, Faramir returned to his paper work. He continued until a servant entered the room around nine in the evening: "The king has returned."

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Legolas was looking around nervously. He had followed Aragorn and Faramir to the king's study and the two men hadn't stopped discussing Aragorn's journey since. They seemed to completely ignore him and Legolas felt a little out of place. Now Aragorn was giving him an apologetic smile and Faramir finally decided to acknowledge him. The young price soon found himself wishing everybody was still ignoring him, because Faramir regarded him in a rather suspicious manner and did not seem to like him at all 

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" 

Before Legolas could react, Aragorn answered for him. "This is Gavin, we travelled here together and I want him to stay in the palace."

If possible, Faramir's expression became even more unfriendly, but he managed to speak in a polite voice. "You must be exhausted from the journey; I will have a servant show you to one of the guest quarters and get you something to eat." When the servant came a few moments later, Legolas was actually relieved to get away. He was really exhausted and Faramir's stares unnerved him. He undressed and collapsed on the bed immediately, not having the energy to eat or even put on his sleeping robes. 

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Aragorn sitting in his chair, waiting patiently for Faramir's outburst that he knew was inevitable, judging from the look in his counsellor's and trusted friend's eyes. *At least he kept his temper until Gavin left, the poor boy would have felt even more unwelcome than he already does.*

"Are you sure it is wise to bring a complete stranger to the castle?" Aragorn didn't have to ask to know who Faramir was referring to. "I mean, I don't want to question your judgement, I know you trust him, but from what we know this boy might as well be a spy or a criminal. We should be careful, especially now that your betrothed is coming tomorrow." 

Aragorn felt the need to defend his young friend. "You can not be serious, haven't you looked at him? He is just a scared boy who doesn't know were to go. I know that I can trust…" The information Faramir had given him finally registered in Aragorn's mind. "She is coming tomorrow?!"

"Please don't tell me you forgot about that. Yes, your uncle and the lady Arwen will be here tomorrow afternoon. Lord Elrond decided that it would be best if the lady lived in Gondor for six month before you get married so that you may get to know each other." 

"Why am I not looking forward to this meeting?" Aragorn doubted that his life could get any worse. However, his sarcasm seemed to upset Faramir.

"Stop acting like a spoiled child. It is your duty as a king to get a wife and heirs. This marriage will not only provide you with both but also help us form a strong alliance with Rivendell. Besides, the lady Arwen is hardly a monster, I am sure many people envy you." Giving Aragorn no chance to argue anymore, he continued. "Well, it's late. I suggest you try to get some rest. Food will be brought to your chambers." Aragorn nodded thankfully and was about to leave the room when Faramir's voice stopped him: "And Aragorn…I would suggest you take a bath before our guests arrive."

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A knock on his door awoke Legolas from his sleep. Who would come to his room in the middle of the night? The door slowly opened and a head appeared. Aragorn. Legolas motioned for the man to enter.

 "You were already asleep, I am sorry, but I needed to talk to someone, but I am disturbing you, so I guess I will just leave..." *Now, that was smart…Gavin will think I am a total idiot.* But the boy did not seem to mind at all and pointed at a chair near his bed. Wondering why exactly Gavin was hiding under his sheets, he discovered that the boy was not wearing anything. The thought made Aragorn blush. "If you would like to dress, I can look out of the window for a while." The boy nodded and Aragorn turned away.  

The king soon discovered that turning to face the window maybe had not been such a good idea after all, as it was exactly opposite the dresser. His own reflection covered most parts of Gavin's body, but he still got a nice view of a well muscled, hairless chest. Aragorn knew he should close his eyes but was unable to do so. The boy was truly beautiful and he found himself wondering how the rest of his body would look like… 

Gavin was now tapping him on the shoulder, indicating that he had finished dressing. He seated himself on the bed, crossing his legs, and waited for Aragorn to speak. 

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Please review? 

Response to reviews: 

**Nina: **Sorry, but Aragorn was not talking about Legolas. 

**Judy: **Poor Legolas/Gavin is going to suffer a lot in this fic.

**Lai: **Thanks a lot

**Phoenix**** Tear: Thank you so much. **

**need_a_diary: **Sorry, but Aragorn is indeed talking about a maiden. 

**Glorfindel's Angel of Mercy: **I'm afraid your guess is right…poor Legolas. 

**Tararith: **Thank you. 

**Earendilstar: **Thanks a lot 


	11. chapter 11

Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Tolkien/New Line, the storyline belongs to H.- Chr. Andersen.

For warnings see chapter 1 

"normal speech"

*thoughts*

Chapter 11

Aragorn suddenly felt very silly. He had disturbed Gavin's rest in the middle of the night because he was in desperate need of someone who would listen to him and assure him that everything would be all right without judging him and now all he could do was picturing the boy's naked body in his mind. *As if my live isn't already complicated enough without improper thoughts about my best friend.* The boy looked so young and innocent, he would probably be shocked if he could read Aragorn's mind at this moment. The man wondered if Gavin had ever had a lover, before he mentally slapped himself, realising that he had no right to think such things. True enough, he had not bedded anyone since seeing his mysterious beauty in Lothlorien, but since when was he so desperate as to lust after an innocent boy that had barely passed his majority?

Aragorn's guilt only increased when he saw Gavin smile, encouraging him to share his troubles with the boy. 

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Legolas was beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable. Aragorn had been staring at him for what seemed to be an eternity, an unreadable expression on his face. What was troubling his beloved? The prince tried to encourage him with a smile and it seemed to work, for the man's expression became kinder and he seated himself in the chair once more. 

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Aragorn took a deep breath. He was too confused to talk about his own feelings right now, but he could hardly just go now and therefore the man decided to clear another matter. "Faramir thinks you might be a criminal of some sort." 

The sudden outburst seemed to only succeed in confusing his young friend and he continued his explanation in a calmer voice. "Don't look so scared, I do not agree with him, I just want you to understand his reaction. It has nothing to do with you as a person, Faramir just tends to be…a little overprotective when it comes to my safety, but he is a friendly and kind person once you get to know him better. So, don't be afraid of him." 

Aragorn paused, unsure how to proceed. His previous words had brought a relieved smile upon the boy's face and he could not help but return it. 

"It is important for you to remember that you can come to Faramir with every problem you might have, for I will be very occupied for at least the next week. I just found out that my betrothed is to arrive tomorrow afternoon and it would be rude if I would ignore her, even if I do not agree with our marriage. It's not her fault, after all." 

The thought of being bound to the lady Arwen for all eternity filled Aragorn with despair, but during his little speech he had tried to keep all emotions out of his voice. He didn't want to burden Gavin further with his worries and already regretted that he had awoken him. 

His attempt to fool the boy failed miserably, Gavin seemed to sense his true feelings and reached out to squeeze Aragorn's hand in a comforting manner. In spite of all his problems, the king couldn't help but thank the Valar for the gift of having such a good friend. 

Noticing the concern in Gavin's eyes, he tried to lighten the mood. "You know, it's not like I am going to die. If I am lucky and the lady is indeed as perfect as her reputation, I might actually grow to like her and that's more than most in my position can hope for. Marriage out of love is not common among nobles and I am already very lucky to have you as a friend." The last words were said with a warm smile that grew even wider when another thought came to Aragorn's mind. "You know, if I had a choice I would rather marry you than any maiden"

Aragorn was laughing at his own joke and therefore failed to notice the pained expression in Legolas' eyes.

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Well, I personally think this chapter is crap, I promise the next one will be better. Please review anyway?

Response to reviews: 

**VinnieNoNeko****: You are actually not that far from the truth…**

**.l.a.a. : **Thanks a lot.

**Glorfindel's Angel of Mercy: **Saruman? Interesting idea, this possibility never came to my mind. 

**Earendilstar****: Thanks again.**

**Nina: **Legolas will definitely suffer for some more chapters.


	12. chapter 12

Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Tolkien/New Line, the storyline belongs to H.-Chr. Andersen. I own nothing. (Well, I actually have a dog called Legolas, but that's not the point…) 

For warnings see chapter 1

"normal speech"

*thoughts*

Chapter 12 

Aragorn was sitting in his throne-room, waiting for his guests to arrive, but his mind was elsewhere. He had spent the better part of the night talking to Gavin and felt now somewhat calmer about his betrothal, having convinced himself that it couldn't be that bad. But he had also noticed that something seemed to trouble his young friend, although Aragorn had no idea what that might be. Was it possible that the boy was still worried about Faramir? He had to stop his musings when the arrival of lady Arwen and her company was announced. Sighing inwardly, he forced his "I am so pleased to meet you"-smile on his face and prepared to meet his uncle and bride. 

The first thing he saw was a smiling face surrounded by long, silvery blonde hair. Blonde!?! "What are you doing here?" Aragorn asked, not caring that he was being rather rude. 

"I am escorting your fiancé since Lord Elrond was to busy to bring her here from Lothlorien himself." Haldir did not seem offended at all, his polite smile changing to one of amusement. 

"To busy? What could be more important than escorting his daughter here?" 

The elf hesitated a few seconds before he answered. "Your uncle is helping an old friend looking for his son, but enough with this. I would like to introduce you to lady Arwen."

For the first time, Aragorn noticed the slim figure waiting behind Haldir and he had to suppress a gasp. The dark hair, a perfect contrast to her fair skin, and those sparkling eyes. Was it really true? There in front of him stood his beauty from Lothlorien, the one he had dreamed about countless nights. Apparently, she remembered him as well.

"I see you have fully recovered from your wounds, my lord?"

"Aye, but this is no wonder. I had was under excellent care in the fair woods of your people." To Aragorn's joy, the lady accepted his compliment with a smile and soon the two of them were engaged in a lively conversation. Haldir felt that they would not miss him and left.  

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Legolas had spent the day in his room. There wasn't much to do besides reading, but he didn't feel like walking around in the city on his own. It had been no problem at all when he still had been an elf, but with his human body, he felt insecure around so many strangers and knowing his luck, Legolas was sure, Faramir would see him and accuse him of spying. No, it was much better to stay in his room to rest and maybe try to decide how to proceed. Arwen's arrival didn't exactly make it easier for him to win Aragorn's heart. 

The prince had heart tales of the Evenstar's beauty and seriously doubted that Aragorn would be totally unaffected. However, he would find out soon as the man was supposed to meet him in a few minutes. 

…later…

The young prince had been waiting for almost two hours and finally realized that Aragorn was not going to show up. Angry and hurt, Legolas headed for the gardens. Maybe he would find some comfort under the trees. He made his way directly to his favourite resting place under a birch, his eyes blinded by suppressed tears. Therefore, he didn't notice the stone in front of him and would have fallen if he wouldn't have been caught by a pair of strong arms. 

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It had become rather late, the sun was already vanishing at the horizon, but although he had travelled the whole morning and the better part of the afternoon, Haldir did not feel like resting and decided to take a walk before going to bed. It was not, that he wasn't tired, but his anger would not let him sleep. 

He had seen Aragorn's reaction towards his fiancé but, as he was not, in contrast to a certain king of men, hopelessly enchanted by the Evenstar, he had also noticed the triumphant satisfaction in Arwen's eyes before she quickly replaced it with false shyness. Arwen had spent many years in Lothlorien and Haldir knew her rather well. She was a vain creature with love only for herself, a fact that she hid quite well under a mask of fake innocence. Haldir was sure that she was after Aragorn for only one reason: to become queen of Gondor. It would most likely be too late when Aragorn finally realised his mistake, but it was not his place to interfere, as much as he wanted to.  

Being an elf, Haldir naturally decided that the gardens would help him to find some peace. He was regarding the first stars that appeared in the dark sky, when he noticed that he was no longer alone. Someone was heading in his direction, apparently not noticing the elf. He seemed to be deep in thoughts and Haldir decided to stay soundless, so as not to disturb the other. 

But just as the boy was passing by, he lost his balance and would have taken a rather painful fall to the ground if Haldir had not caught him. The boy was looking at him with shocked eyes for a moment, then mumbled something indefinable and left. *No*, Haldir corrected himself *the boy is not leaving, he is flying. Strange.* The elf wondered what he could have done to scare the boy like that, but didn't find an answer. Something was definitely wrong with him; it was not only his strange behaviour, but also…something else. Haldir didn't know what it was, but something about the boy did not seem quite right.  Realising that he wouldn't find the answer tonight, he decided to go to sleep and look if he could find the strange boy in the morning. The sunlight would also allow him to take a closer look at his face, which had been impossible in the darkness. 

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So what do you think? Please review.

Response to reviews: 

**judy:** Thanks once more.

**Earendilstar:** Thanks a lot.

**Phoenix Tear:** Thank you so much. 

**Glorfindel's Angel of Mercy:** It's not Aragorn's fault. He doesn't know about Legolas' feelings, after all…

**Kuramaswildfire:** You're right, Elrond would most likely recognize Legolas if he saw him. And just in case you wondered: Haldir has never been to Mirkwood and therefore doesn't know Legolas. 


	13. chapter 13

Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Tolkien/New Line, the storyline belongs to H.- Chr. Andersen, Legolas' brothers belong to me. 

Information for Thranduil's banner from 

For warnings see chapter 1 

"normal speech"

*thoughts*

'elvish'

Chapter 13 

It was had now been two months since the lady Arwen had come to Minas Tirith and autumn had turned to winter. The fields outside the city were snow-covered, a truly beautiful picture, especially when you saw it while sitting in a warm, comfortable room, preferably in company of someone you loved. Everybody was enjoying the calmness…almost everybody…

Haldir was in a particularly bad mood. He now had spent almost two months in Gondor and absolutely nothing was like he wanted it to be. 'Elrond's spoiled little daughter', as he liked to call lady Arwen, seemed to be quite successful when it came to seducing the king and he was just sitting around doing nothing. Originally, he was supposed to guard the lady, but this job had been taken over by Aragorn. 

Not knowing what else to do, Haldir had used his free time trying to get some information about that interesting boy he had 'met' on his first evening. All he had managed to find out was that his name was Gavin and that he was a close friend of Aragorn. Apart from that, the boy seemed to be hiding in his room constantly, when he wasn't spending time with the king. How it was possible that Gavin hadn't died from boredom, yet, was a miracle to Haldir. 

The fact that nobody seemed to know any more about the boy than he had already managed to find out only increased Haldir's interest. 

One night he finally was lucky when he was looking for a book in the library. Gavin sat on a pillow in front of a chair, reading a huge volume about the wars of the First Age. His legs were crossed and his back was resting against the chair. The book was resting in his lap. Gavin was too concentrated on his book to even notice the elf. 

Once again, Haldir felt that something about the picture was wrong. And suddenly it struck him. This boy was not sitting like a human, but like an elf! It was not only the fact, that he was sitting cross-legged, it was his whole bearing, and yet, the body was definitely human, though very graceful and slender. Was it possible that…

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_flashback: Lothlorien_

It was early morning, the sun was just about to rise in the east, but many elves were already awake, because lord Elrond would arrive at any moment to take his daughter to Gondor. Haldir was relieved to see her leave, unlike most other people, he had never liked Elrond's daughter and almost pitied her husband-to-be.  

Suddenly, a single rider came into view. It soon became clear, that this was no messenger of Elrond, for the elf was bearing a banner that hadn't been seen in Lothlorien for a long time: a white tree on green ground, the colours of Mirkwood. 

Celeborn and Galadriel were not present and therefore the duty to greet the messenger came to Haldir.   

'Welcome to the Golden Wood. My name is Haldir. What gives us the pleasure of your visit?' 

'Greetings. I bear important news for your lord and lady from my father, king Thranduil.'

'You are one of the king's sons?'

'Yes, I am Lothion, the king's second son.'

'I bid you welcome, prince Lothion of Mirkwood.' Galadriel said, appearing between the trees. 'Please refresh yourself and have something to eat and then we can talk about the news you bear. It must be important news indeed, if the king sends his son to deliver them.'

'You are very kind, my lady, but I do not have much time. I just came to deliver my message and then I have to continue to Rivendell, for my message is for lord Elrond as well.'

'Then you are lucky, he will arrive here shortly.'

…later…

Elrond had finally arrived and was immediately told about the messenger from Mirkwood. Thranduil had once been one of his closest friends, but it had been many years since his last visit. The king's youngest son had been nothing more than a baby. The lord of Imladris hoped that everything was well in his friend's realm. 

Now, Elrond, Galadriel, Celeborn, Lothion and a few guards, among them Haldir, were sitting in a room. 

Galadriel was smiling kindly at the young prince. 'So please tell us what important news have brought you here?'

'My father needs your assistance in a very important matter. My youngest brother, Legolas, has been missing for over a month now and no one knows where he might be.'

End flashback 

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Haldir still remembered the shock that had followed Lothion's words. When everybody had finally calmed down, the prince had told how Legolas had left the palace after an argument with his father and had been missing ever since. He also gave a detailed description of his younger brother. 

But it was certainly impossible, that Gavin was…How should Legolas have ended up with a human body? And still…Following more his instinct than logical thinking, Haldir asked 'Legolas?'

The boy's had snapped up, a shocked expression on his face. His whole body seemed to tense. This reaction answered Haldir's question better than any words. He was indeed facing the youngest prince of Mirkwood.

'So you are Thranduil's youngest son' it was more a statement than a question.

The prince nodded.

'Would you please tell me what you are doing here and why exactly you look like a human?' Legolas looked really frightened, but Haldir had to know. How was he supposed to decide what to do next if he didn't know what the prince was planning?

The "boy" just shook his head, pointing at his mouth. Haldir didn't understand. What was that supposed to mean? He was just about to answer when he heard a deep voice behind him.

"He is mute, he can not answer you." Haldir had been too distracted to notice Aragorn enter the library. 

"Gavin, I was looking for you. Would you like to join me for a glass of wine in my study?"

Legolas nodded and got up from the floor, his face showing nothing of his inner tumult. 

"You are also welcome to join us." Aragorn invited Haldir, but the elf shook his head. He was sure that Legolas would not appreciate his company and he couldn't question the prince while Aragorn was around. 

"Thank you, but I think I prefer to stay here for a while. I have a lot to think about." Was that fear in Legolas' eyes? If so, it was certainly not necessary, for Haldir had no intentions on telling anybody about his discovery until he had talked to Legolas. 

When he was finally alone, he sat down on the chair Legolas had occupied before. Why would a prince of Mirkwood run away from home to live in Minas Tirith as human? It seemed that Haldir's stay in Gondor would proof to become much more interesting than he had originally thought.

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Finally another chapter! Please tell me what you think!

Response to reviews: 

**Nina: **Arwen is spoiled and selfish, but she's not evil

**Judy: **Of course Haldir found out, it's Haldir! He's my favourite elf. 

**Earendilstar: **I am trying to make longer chapters, but it just doesn't work. Glad you like it, though. J

**Glorfindel's Angel of Mercy: **Aragorn is not exactly madly in love with Legolas…yet. 

**PokethePenguin: **Thank you so much.

**Fey: **Thanks for reviewing. I actually got some (hopefully) nice ideas after reading your review.


	14. chapter 14

Disclaimer: Middle Earth belongs to Tolkien/New Line, the original storyline belongs to H.-Chr.

*thoughts*

written words 

"normal speech"

'elvish' 

For warnings see chapter one.

Chapter 14

Aragorn had spent the whole afternoon walking the gardens with Arwen. Originally, he had planned to go riding with Gavin, but the boy hadn't felt well and preferred to stay inside. The king had been worried, but Gavin had assured him that all he needed was rest. So Aragorn ended up spending the day with his betrothed. This should have made him happy, but he couldn't help being disappointed. 

It was not, that he didn't love Arwen, of course he did, for who would not love such a beautiful creature as the Evenstar of the elves? But Arwen had no interest what so ever for politics or history, didn't share his curiosity for the world. He had tried to talk about those things but gotten nothing more than a polite answer that had made it clear that his lady was bored. Having never had a real relationship before, Aragorn just assumed that it was normal for a man to either praise the lady's beauty or listen to her complaints about servants, food, decorations… That was how it was supposed to be, was it not? And still he sometimes could not help missing the company of his best friend.

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Legolas was desperate. What was he supposed to do now that this 'Lorien-elf had found out who he really was? He had been hiding in his chamber the whole day, claiming to feel sick. Of course he knew, that he could not hide there forever, but maybe just a little bit longer *Until I know how I am going to persuade Haldir not to tell anyone. * 

Unfortunately for Legolas, he did not get the possibility to come up with a plan. There was a knock at the door and when he opened he found himself face to face with Haldir. 

'I think we need to talk.'

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Haldir had seated himself in a chair and was now watching Legolas. The prince seemed to be totally frightened. Why was it so important for him that nobody knew who he was? Haldir would have thought him to be a spy, but it would not make sense if Thranduil sent his youngest son spying and then endangered his mission by telling everyone that he was missing. Therefore, Haldir decided to believe the story prince Lothion had told in Lothlorien. The youngest prince of Mirkwood had run away after an argument with his father. But why go to Gondor, of all placer, and –even more important- why give up his elfish body? There was only one way to find out. 

'So would you care to tell me what exactly you are doing here?' Seeing that the other was still frightened, he added 'Your father is looking for you desperately, you will have to give me a reason if you want me to remain quiet and risk his anger.'

Legolas finally seemed to calm down a little and started to write something on a paper. 

What do you want to know?

'Actually, I would like to know everything. Begin wherever you want to.'

Legolas realized that there was no way he could avoid this and decided to be totally honest. 

It all started when I was allowed to leave my home for the first time…

The prince wrote down the whole story while Haldir waited patiently and then handed the papers to the other elf. A long silence followed until Haldir finally asked

'You really love this man, don't you?'

Legolas nodded. Haldir fell silent once more, trying to find the right words.

'Please forgive me when I misunderstood something, but you sacrificed you home, your family and even your voice just to be together with Aragorn?'

Another nod was his answer.

'Then he must truly mean a lot to you. I am impressed by the depth of your feelings, but there is one thing I still don't understand…You gave up everything for a chance to be with the man and now you just watch him marrying someone else?'

Legolas had been prepared for all kinds of reaction, but he'd never expected this question and was therefore completely shocked? What was this supposed to mean? Was Haldir going to support him or was he just being curious? Would he tell Thranduil? Hoping for the best, Legolas answered What do you want me to do? He loves her and even if he didn't, we could never be together. No matter how I look, I am still a prince of Mirkwood and this is something I can never tell him. This lie will always stand between us.

'But you knew this from the beginning and it obviously didn't disturb you until you learned of the betrothal, so why are you worrying about it now? And about Lady Arwen…I can assure you she doesn't love him and if you ask me, I don't think he truly loves her either. He is enchanted by her beauty, yes, but that is not love.' 

Haldir had to hide his smile when Legolas' face once more showed an expression of utter shock. The prince was so young and innocent and surely didn't deserve all the pain he had gone through. Haldir pitied him. His decision was made. He would not tell Thranduil or anyone else and instead try to help Legolas as much as he could. 

'Do not look so stunned. A relationship is not always built on love.'

But I don't know what to do. How could I possibly get Aragorn's attention when he is focused on the lady Arwen?

'It would be a good start, if you stopped hiding in your room all day. If I were you I would try to get on more friendly terms with Faramir. He can make your life very hard. Apart from that, you might want to show Aragorn that you enjoy spending time with him. Remind him of your existence.'

Legolas started to write something, but Haldir quickly continued. 'And no more but! Think about my words. If you want to try winning the man's heart, I will gladly assist you, but now I have to go. It's quite late and I am supposed to meet someone else soon.'

And with that, the 'Lorien-elf disappeared and Legolas was left alone with his thoughts. Haldir was right, he had to do something, and if it was true that Arwen and Aragorn did not love each other, he was not hurting anyone, rather the opposite. Having silenced his conscience with this, the young prince was finally able to find some rest. 

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Another chapter! Please tell me what you think.

Response to reviews (I can't believe I got eleven reviews for the last chapter! *dances around* ):

**Lola:** as you wish J. Hope you liked it.

**lkl0001: **I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

**Earendilstar: **Thank you so much. Of course Haldir figured it out, my favourite elf is smart ;-)

**Phoenix Tear: **Thanks again.

**oogle-boogle: **Thanks a lot. (Please keep your oogle-boogies away from me? *hides behind Haldir*)

**PokethePenguin:** Wow, thank you. J Human Legolas look pretty much like elf-Legolas, just without the pointy ears.

**Nina: **That's why I put Haldir in; I felt that Legolas needed a friend. 

**Glorfindel's Angel of Mercy: **Aragorn is just confused (evil Arwen), but he will come to his senses…eventually

**whispers of an angel: **Arwen knows about Legolas' disappearance, but she doesn't really care. Thranduil will re-enter the story, but it will take some more chapters.

**Chibi-chan: **Thanks a lot. 

**IceAngelDarkMoon**: Thank you so much. 


	15. chapter 15

Disclaimer: Middle Earth belongs to Tolkien/New Line, the original storyline belongs to H.-Chr.

*thoughts*

written words 

"normal speech"

'elvish' 

For warnings see chapter one

Chapter 15

Legolas was looking at Haldir sceptically. Was he really supposed to believe that Aragorn would fall in love with him because he was _not_ always there for him? This was completely mad. 

The 'Lorien-elf had come directly after breakfast to discuss the plan he had come up with to solve Legolas' problems. The main part of the plan was that Legolas was going to spend as few time as possible in his room and instead go outside or read in the library or whatever he felt for. This would also help to avoid that Legolas 'continued to follow Aragorn around like a puppy', as Haldir had put it so nicely. Legolas did not have too much confidence in their plan. 

'This will work, trust me.' Haldir said, judging the look on the other's face correctly. 'Besides, you have nothing to lose. Waiting for Aragorn all day wasn't exactly a successful tactic, so why not try something else?'

Legolas had to admit that the other had a point there. *It can't hurt to try, and he's right, my live can not possibly get any worse.*

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Aragorn was beginning to feel slightly annoyed. He had been looking for Gavin for the last hour, but nobody could tell him where the boy had gone. It was totally out of character for him to simply vanish, he was always in his room, so why not now? He was just wondering if he would find his friend in the library when…

"Oh, there you are! I've been looking for you everywhere, did you forget about the discussion about the new gardens that will be planted next spring? Everyone is waiting for you, we really need your advice, we just can not decide if it would be better to plant red or white roses, and…"

This was definitely one of the occasions when Aragorn wanted to kill his counsellor and long-time friend. Instead, he contented himself with a sigh and followed Faramir to this 'important' meeting. He would have to continue his search later.

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This went on for several days. Whenever Aragorn was looking for Legolas, he would find the room empty. The prince was usually walking in the city; he took great joy from the merry live around him and could not understand how he had managed to stay inside the castle for more than two months. It was true that he loved Aragorn's gardens, but only now did he realize how isolated and lonely he had been with only the trees and occasionally Aragorn as company. 

Haldir normally accompanied Legolas on his walks and both elves enjoyed each other's company very much. The 'Lorien-elf was about the same age as Legolas' brother Lothion, but he had a completely different character. Actually, Legolas could not recall ever meeting anyone with a character similar to Haldir's. 

The elf usually acted self-confident and distant, radiating an aura of arrogance that was so much part of his personality that it only left him during sleep. There were not few that were actually afraid of the sarcastic remarks he would make about anyone and anything that got on his nerves. Making it short, one could say that Haldir of Lothlorien was surely the most annoying elf Legolas had ever met. But it did not take long for Legolas to realize that this arrogant façade covered a kind, caring soul. 

Keeping himself busy all day was not as hard as he had imagined, in fact Legolas rather enjoyed it. He had a feeling that his luck was finally returning.

Even the second part of their plan, befriending Faramir, was much easier than he had expected. Legolas had started to greet the man and smile at him and Haldir was using his position as a representative for the Golden Wood to 'coincidentally' mention how nice and friendly the king's young friend was while conversing with the counsellor. To say that Faramir and Legolas were friends would have been a lie, but Faramir seemed to at least tolerate his presence, which was quite a progress.   

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"But if we take red roses, the orange lilies will not fit and if we are going to change the lilies, we will also have to adjust the tulips…" Aragorn refused to believe that he had been discussing different colours of flowers for five days. He did not even understand why they would need an additional garden. Wasn't the one he already had beautiful enough? But Faramir had insisted that it was necessary to make a good impression to his wedding guests. 

Apart from the fact, that the king of Gondor had indeed more important things to do than discussing flowers, those ridiculous meetings kept him from looking for Gavin. He knew that he would probably find the boy in his chambers if he was to go there in the evenings, but his evenings were already occupied with meeting Arwen and he didn't want to insult the lady. 

*But what makes you so sure that he indeed spends the evenings in his rooms, and if he does, how can you know that he is alone? He is very beautiful…* Now, where did that thought come from and why was it causing a slight pain in his chest? The tulips must have gotten to his mind. Suddenly, Aragorn could take no more and rose from his chair. Ignoring the confused stares he received, he rushed outside. He definitely needed some fresh air. 

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Faramir was worried about his king and friend. Aragorn had grown more and more restless the last few days and he was sure that it had something to do with that boy. Gavin, if that was indeed his name, apparently thought him stupid enough to not notice that he was trying to charm him. Well he was not, and the boy would soon find out what it meant to try tricking the chief counsellor of Gondor. 

He would pretend to trust Gavin and wait until he knew what exactly he was planning. What was he trying to gain by charming the king of Gondor? *not charming, seducing would be the right word*, he corrected himself. In contrast to Aragorn, he had noticed the stares his friend received from the blonde, but he had kept silent. Aragorn trusted the boy and would not believe that he had been deceived until he had proof. 

One more question troubled him. The elf from Lothlorien, Haldir, was speaking rather fondly of Gavin. Was he also involved in this or had he been tricked as well? Whatever the case was, Faramir was determined to find out.

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"Master, you are looking furi…" The ork stopped in the middle of his question, staring at the knife in his stomach. Then he collapsed on the floor, dead. Saruman didn't even bother to look at him anymore once the creature had stopped interrupting his thought with his unnerving questions. His plans were not going well at all. First, the prince of Mirkwood had met Elrond in Lothlorien, making the trap that had been set for him between the Golden Wood and Rivendell useless. It was only a matter of time until Elrond would visit his nephew in Gondor and knowing that Thranduil's son was missing, it was not hard to figure out who the mute boy really was. 

As if that wasn't already enough, this annoying Haldir had decided to help the little prince to win Aragorn's heart and his plans seemed to be rather successful. It had taken all his self-control not to throw the palantír on the next wall after seeing what had happened in Minas Tirith the past few days. 

He had been to careless, assuming that Thranduil's brat would never manage to make Aragorn love him, and now he had the trouble. It was time for him to do something against this unpleasant turn of events. He already had a perfect plan, effective and amusing at the same time, and he knew exactly the right person to help him.

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Another chapter done! Please tell me what you think. 

Response to reviews: 

Ophelia: Thank you so much! 

shriekingviolet: thanks.

LoliTa: What can I say? Aragorn is confused, he's only a man, after all. ;-) 

Chibi-chan: Thanks again. I can't possibly shoot Arwen, I still need her. I like the idea though…;-)

Nina: If they knew what has happened, they would probably be able to undo it.

Faer: I was actually planning to follow the original plot, but I don't think I have the heart to kill Legolas, so expect a happy ending. 

angelbird1224: Thank you

Astronema: Why do so many people want me to kill Arwen? ;-)  She is rather annoying, but I still need her. 

Nyssa: I don't think you will read this, but anyway…it would have helped if you had pointed out exactly where Legolas is acting like a "sappy little school girl". This way I can only say that I disagree with you. 

PokethePenguin: Thank you once more.

Glorfindel's Angel of Mercy: I think all Aragorn needs is a little push in the right direction (and a way to get rid of Arwen…)

Haruka-hime: Thank you very much.

oogle-boogle: Thanks…I guess …;-)

Yo: I can understand if you don't like L/A stories, but what I don't understand is why you are reading this? The summary clearly says that Legolas falls in love with Aragorn. Anyway, it was not my intention to offend you or anyone else.

Iara: Thanks a lot

IceAngelDarkMoon: What can I say? Thank you.

Anna: Thanks. Yes, my story is based on the little mermaid.


	16. chapter 16

Disclaimer: Middle Earth belongs to Tolkien/New Line, the original storyline belongs to H.-Chr.

*thoughts*

"normal speech"

For warnings see chapter one

Sorry for the lack of updates, but schoolwork is currently occupying most of my time. 

Chapter 16 

The sun was just rising and the White city shone red in the early light. It was truly a lovely picture, although not many witnessed it, for most people were still asleep. Aragorn, however, had been awake for quite some time and had just finished his breakfast. If the young servant had wondered about the king's early appearance or the fact that he was having breakfast in the kitchen, she hadn't shown it and, to be honest, Aragorn didn't care if anyone thought his behaviour strange, he needed to speak to Gavin. 

He had heard how some of the kitchen-maidens had gossiped about the boy's behaviour. He would always appear early in the morning, grab some food and then vanish for the rest of the day. 

Since Aragorn's evenings were already occupied with Arwen, his only chance to meet the boy was catching him before he left. Of course, the man welcomed the change, it was not good for Gavin to sit in his room all day, although the more egoistic part of his mind would have preferred the boy to be close to him all the time. 

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Legolas chose this moment to enter the kitchen, and started to pack enough food for the day, not noticing that he was not alone until he heard a voice from behind. 

"You wake quite early, my friend. I wonder where you are going?" 

What was Aragorn doing here at this time of the day? Legolas did not mind at all that he was there, but it was still surprising. The man continued his questioning. 

"Maybe you are meeting someone?" 

As an answer, Legolas shook his head, and it was true, he was not meeting anyone today. Haldir had excused himself, saying he had to write some reports to his Lord and Lady.  Legolas wanted to tell the man that he had planned to take a horse and ride out to enjoy the wonderful winter-weather, but he hadn't brought any paper. Why would Aragorn care if he had company anyway? Maybe Haldir was right and the man was actually missing him! He immediately negated this possibility, not wanting to give himself false hope, but as if to proof his fears wrong, Aragorn continued.  

"I am sorry, it's none of my business with whom you are spending your time, it's just that you do not seem to have time for me anymore. It is understandable that you grow restless, but still…"

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Aragorn mentally slapped himself for his thoughtlessness; he sounded like an envious lover! Not that it wasn't true, he did miss Gavin's company and he felt envious towards whoever the boy was spending his days with, but to show it like that… Gavin, however, did not seem offended at all; he actually looked rather pleased. Aragorn made a decision. 

"It looks like this is going to be quite a nice day, maybe you would like to go riding with me, that is if you don't have any other plans?"

…

_evening, the stables:_

"You are a skilled rider, nobody managed to best me in a horserace before. Congratulations." Aragorn was smiling at his friend. It had been long since he had felt as carefree and happy as he had today. Some people might think it strange, that he found so much pleasure in the company of a mute boy, but Gavin didn't need words to show that he understood the king. It was as if they had known each other for ages. 

Aragorn would have liked to also spend the evening with his friend, but had to hurry to clean and change. Their ride had taken much longer than originally intended and Arwen would most definitely not be pleased if he were late. 

"We should repeat that soon, I really enjoyed myself, but I have to go now, my betrothed is waiting."  And with that, he went for his rooms. 

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Haldir had watched their return from his balcony and was extremely pleased. His plan seemed to work, in spite of Legolas' shyness and the man's ignorance. Since he knew about the prince's secret, he had watched Aragorn more closely and it was clear to him that the king was not in love with the Evenstar, but seemed extremely bored in her company. Maybe the man was more intelligent than he had originally thought, but then why exactly was he still insisting on marrying Arwen? The ways of men truly were a mystery to the elf. 

But it was clear that Aragorn was at least mildly interested in his young friend, and therefore, it was time for the second part of his plan to begin. 

Neatly piled on his desk lay two letters, one indeed for Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn, but the other one was addressed to Mirkwood. 

Haldir felt slightly guilty for not telling Legolas about this, but he seriously doubted, that the prince would have given his agreement. The 'Lorien-elf was well aware, that Legolas could not hide forever  (especially not when he was going to have a relationship with the king of Gondor) and had therefore decided to contact the only person in Mirkwood he thought capable of convincing Thranduil to allow this relationship. 

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Haldir was not the only one who had watched the king and Legolas return.  A dark silhouette was standing behind a window. *So the wizard was right, the boy is indeed seducing Aragorn, but he will not succeed. I will make sure of that. 

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Ok, it shouldn't be too hard to guess who Haldir is writing to. As always: Please review!

**Chibi-chan: **But the story would be boring if Legolas had no competition. ;-) 

**Nina: **Saruman is planning a nice intrigue against Legolas, but I won't say more. *evil grin*

**Iluvlegolas: **Something evil ;-) Okay, serious: He wants to destroy Aragorn's feelings for Legolas.

PokethePenguin: He will try to destroy Aragorn's feelings for Legolas. 

**whispers of an angel: **Thank you! And once more: Saruman will try to destroy Aragorn's feelings for Legolas

**IceAngelDarkMoon: **Thanks! It will take some more time for them to actually get together. And just for the records: Haldir is not arrogant, never! (Ignore that, I'm just a stupid fangirl *g*)

**cold crystal tears: **That's exactly what I'm planning to do...

**Tararith: **I do check on my spelling, but English is not my first language, so there might still be some mistakes left. I hope it doesn't bother you too much. :-)

**Glorfindel's Angel of Mercy: **Arwen? Maybe…or maybe not…*laughs evilly* 


	17. chapter 17

Disclaimer: Middle Earth belongs to Tolkien/New Line, the original storyline belongs to H.-Chr.

*thoughts*

"normal speech"

'elfish'

For warnings see chapter one

Chapter 17

The sun was shining brightly and the air was filled with the singing of birds. A warm breeze caressed the green hills that surrounded Minas Tirith. Aragorn was sitting on a small rock, enjoying the peaceful scene in front of him. Behind him was the small pond he had always visited when he was younger and he briefly wondered how long it had been since he had last come here, two years, maybe three? 

Soft footfalls could be heard behind him and the man smiled; for some reason he knew exactly who was coming. A few moments later, slender arms encircled his waist from behind and his love's chin rested on his shoulder. He reached to draw the other even closer and received a small laughter in return. No words were said and none were needed, they would have destroyed the magical moment. Yes, magical was the only way to describe it. Aragorn could not remember a moment when he had felt so completely at peace with himself and the world. If he had one single wish, he would have wanted to stay like this for the rest of his life…

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'Aragorn! Are you listening?' Aragorn opened his eyes just in time to get a look at Arwen's angry face before the Evenstar turned around and left the room, all the time shouting that she had never been treated like that and that she would not accept it. After realizing, that he had fallen asleep during one of her monologues, Aragorn couldn't really blame her. He was rather tired after riding with Gavin, but that was no excuse for his behaviour. Luckily, Arwen was oblivious to what he had been dreaming about, for he was sure that she would not approve of it. 

His dream…that was yet another problem to think about. He was expected to be in love with the Evenstar, but the arms around his waist had been too strong to belong to her, the other's long hair had not been black but golden and the laughter…while Arwen's laughter was lovely, it couldn't compare to the rich, melodious sound from his dream. 

Aragorn had had this kind of dreams since that orc-attack, but the figure had always remained a shadow, it now had great resemblance with Gavin. 

Did this mean that he was in love with the boy? He had caught himself more than once staring at his friend, but if that meant anything at all, then only that he desired him, didn't it? And what of Arwen? Deciding that he needed advice in this, Aragorn went looking for the only person he could think of, Faramir. 

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"He did what?" Faramir was staring at the Evenstar with an unbelieving expression on his face. 

"He fell asleep during our conversation. You will understand that I cannot accept such behaviour."

"Of course, my lady, but I think you should consider that the king was out riding the whole day, which means that he must be rather tired. I am sure that he is already thinking about a proper way to apologize."

"Well, he should better think about something good." In spite of her words, Arwen's anger already started to faint. Maybe the counsellor was right, Aragorn would find an appropriate way to show her how sorry he was and marrying a king was certainly worth overlooking some minor insults. She would show how kind she was and forgive him.

When Faramir was left alone, he drew a deep breath to calm his own anger. How could Aragorn be so carelessly endanger the whole engagement? Didn't he know how important this was for the kingdom? There was no way they could defend themselves against the increasing amount of orcs without strong allies and Rivendell was just perfect, not to mention that there was no alternative. He would have to talk about this with Aragorn. 

Just at that moment, said man entered the study. "Faramir, I need to talk to you." 

Faramir was about to say something, but Aragorn started to talk, giving him no time to interrupt. 

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"So, what do you think about this?" Judging from the look on his face, Faramir was too shocked to think anything at the moment and Aragorn decided to ask again. 

"Do you think I am in love with the boy?" 

The other seemed to think about the question for a moment before he answered.

"I am not sure, but for me it sounds like you made up some sort of fantasy and when you met the boy, you projected your desire for this fantasy on him. This is perfectly normal, you are just a bit upset about the wedding." 

*Perfectly normal? Does that mean everyone dreams that they are in love with shadows that turn out to be their best friends?* Aragorn somehow doubted that, but on the other hand Faramir was much more experienced when it came to matters of the heart and one could almost always rely on his advise. After all, he wasn't Aragorn's chief-counsellor for nothing.

"So what do you think I should do?"

"I am not sure, all I can say is that you should do nothing until you are absolutely sure of what you want –and do not tell Arwen!"

Aragorn nodded, this sounded wise. "Thank you, you really helped me. But if you will excuse me now, I am rather tired…"

"I know, I had a little conversation with Arwen before you came. She is expecting you to find a proper way to apologize." Faramir didn't quite manage to hide his smile when Aragorn groaned in a rather pitiful way. 

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Mirkwood 

Lothion was watching his father pushing the food from one side of the plate to the other. It had been like that since Legolas' disappearance, the king would not eat and only talk to no one but his two sons. Legolas had run away after the terrible argument about that human king and Thranduil felt guilty for shouting at him. Maybe, if he had been more understanding, his youngest son would still be here. But he had only tried to protect Legolas, his son was too young to know how cruel men could be; and now he was somewhere out there completely on his own. 

How Legolas had managed to leave the area protected by his magic without his notice, he did not know, and this only served to increase his worry. Who could have helped him, and for what price? 

Thranduil had not told anyone about the 'discussion' he had had with Legolas, nobody could know about his shame, that it was his anger had driven his youngest son away. It would not have helped anyway, for Legolas was certainly not in Gondor. An elf in the kingdom of men would have been noticed immediately. 

Faelon and Lothion had tried to convince their father that it was not his fault that nobody could have predicted Legolas' reaction, but it was useless, Thranduil would not listen.

When he had finished his dinner, the prince rose immediately to leave for his room, he could not bear the depressing atmosphere in the great hall any longer, but before he could reach the door, a messenger entered, saying he had a letter for prince Lothion of Mirkwood. 

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So what do you think? Please review!

**Glorfindel's Angel of Mercy: **Interesting thought, some are not too far from the truth. :-)

**whispers of an angel: **Thank you so much. 

**Chibi-chan: **Still no kissing in this chapter, sorry, but it will come soon. 

**Nina: **I think Haldir and Legolas pretending to have an affair would be rather cheap and Aragorn is imho not the type for something like that to work.

**michaela:** You don't really expect me to tell you who witnessed Legolas' return, do you? You'll just have to wait to find out. ;-) 

**IceAngelDarkMoon: **It should be rather clear now who Haldir was writing to. 

**Faer: **Sorry, I won't say anything. Glad you like it, though.

**Haruka-hime: **What can I say? Aragorn finally kind of figured out his feelings, but it will take some more time to get to the end. 

**Shadow: **Ich hoffe einfach mal, dass du nichts dagegen hast, wenn ich dir auf deutsch antworte, dann muss ich nicht so viel nachdenken. ;-) Ehrlich gesagt weiss ich selbst noch nicht so genau, was die zweite Hälfte des Planes sein soll, ich hab zwar ein Ende, aber wie ich dahin komme ist noch nicht sicher. Danke jedenfalls. 


	18. chapter 18

Disclaimer: Middle Earth belongs to Tolkien/New Line, the original storyline belongs to H.-Chr.

*thoughts*

"normal speech"

'elfish'

For warnings see chapter one

Chapter 18

It was late at night and most elves in Mirkwood were already sleeping, but not everyone. 

'What news could be upsetting enough to keep you awake at this hour?' The sudden voice caused Lothion to jump from his bed, ready to defend himself. But it was just his father, standing there with a slight smile.  'I saw light coming from your room and when you didn't answer to my knocks, I wanted to make sure that everything is alright. So tell me, why are you still awake?' 

'It is nothing, just a letter from a friend.' He had always been a terrible liar and it was obvious that Thranduil did not believe him. 

'Then why is it that your whole body is shaking? I can understand it if you don't want to tell me, but please don't lie to me.'

Lothion considered his options. He had originally planed to discuss the letter with his brother before deciding if he should show it to anyone else, but on the other hand his father had a right to know. Sighing and knowing that he was probably making a mistake, he handed Thranduil the paper. 'Read.'

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Lothion sighed. This had definitely been a mistake. Immediately after finishing the letter, Thranduil had announced that he would leave within the hour, leaving his two sons to rein Mirkwood during his absence. Of course, Lothion had tried to convince Thranduil to stay or at least take a guard with him, but the king had refused to trust anyone else with this, not even him or Faelon, and insisted that he would be much faster on his own. 

Lothion had no choice but to obey his father's wishes. Sighing once more, he went to wake his brother and tell him about the new turn of events. Something told him that Faelon would not be happy.  

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"Oh Aragorn, this is just wonderful, of course I forgive you. After all, you really looked tired yesterday and I am sure this will never happen again, will it?"

In spite of Arwen's sweet smile, the last words held an unmistakable threat.

"Certainly not, milady. I feel terribly sorry for insulting you and would never dare to repeat my behaviour."  This seemed to satisfy Arwen and Aragorn decided that it was best to leave now before she changed her mind. 

Apart from that, he was in desperate need of some rest as he had spent the better part of the night writing a poem about the Evenstar's beauty, which had been rather difficult given the fact that his mind kept picturing someone else. When had his life gotten so complicated? 

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Legolas was disbelievingly watching how Haldir threw tunic after tunic on his bed. He could not see what was wrong with his own clothes but Haldir had insisted that he wore 'something special' tonight at dinner. 

He had been on his way to meet Haldir when he had heard someone call his name. To his complete surprise, Faramir had asked him to have dinner with everyone else in the Great Hall. Up to now, he had always eaten in the privacy of his chamber, partly because he did not like crowded places but also because he wanted to escape Faramir's suspicious eyes. He had been sure that the man would do anything to make his life as hard as possible, but now the steward smiling at him and talking about him always being so alone. Still shocked, Legolas just nodded his agreement. "Wonderful! I have to go now, but I'll see you later. Enjoy your day, my friend." With that Faramir had left, leaving a very confused Legolas behind. Since when, exactly, was he Faramir's friend? 

After overcoming his shock, Legolas had told Haldir about this surprising turn of events and since then he had been forced to trying on what seemed like millions of different outfits. 

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Secretly, Haldir wondered if it was really a good idea for Legolas to accept Faramir's invitation. It seemed rather unlikely that the steward had suddenly changed his mind about Legolas, but there was nothing to be done about it now that his young friend had agreed to come and Haldir was careful not to show his doubts. There was no use in making Legolas any more nervous than he already was, but he would make sure that nothing happened to Legolas. 

When Haldir was finally sure that he had found the perfect clothes for his friend –a dark green tunic with silver ornament and matching black leggings-, he decided that a walk in the gardens would help to calm Legolas. 

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_2 hours later_

Haldir and Legolas were just returning from their walk when a servant approached them and handed a sealed paper to Haldir. 

"Sir, this message from Lothlorien arrived about an hour ago. We were not able to find you sooner. The messenger has already left."

Nodding his thanks, Haldir opened the letter and began to read. His face did not show any emotion, but Legolas could clearly hear the worry in his voice when he spoke:

'The borders of the Golden Wood have been attacked and I am needed, I have to leave immediately. Please forgive me, but you will have to manage this dinner and everything else on your own. It will take me at least 3 weeks to reach Lothlorien, I cannot waste any time.' Hugging his friend one last time, Haldir left for the stables. 

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So what do you think? Please review! Next chapter will concentrate on Aragorn and Legolas, I promise. 

**Chibi-chan: **Thanks again. 

**Dragonlady: **I once saw a movie with a girl called Anjuli and I just liked the sound of it. 

**Cassandra: **Thanks a lot.

**Nina: **The kiss was planned for this chapter, but that would have made it too long, but the next one…

**Elvish_lord_Elrond: **Thank you so much, glad you like it. 

**Iara: **Thank you. 

**Glorfindel's Angel of Mercy: **Sorry, but the exact words of the letter won't be told for some more chapters, but it should not be _that_ hard to guess what it was about. :-)

**Angelbird1224:** Thanks.

**Laura: **Danke :-) Ja, deutsch ist meine Muttersprache.

**Renee: **Thanks a lot

**IceAngelDarkMoon: **Thanks, but I'm afraid Haldir won't be able to help Legolas anytime soon. 

**Earendilstar: **Thank you so much. 


	19. chapter 19

Disclaimer: Middle Earth belongs to Tolkien/New Line, the original storyline belongs to H.-Chr. The song is a translation of "Halt mich" by the wonderful Herbert Groenemeyer. 

*thoughts*

"normal speech"

For warnings see chapter one

chapter 19

Legolas was trying to concentrate on his food, but found that close to impossible; all he wanted to do was finish his meal and return to his room as soon as possible. Everything had started quite well when he appeared about ten minutes before dinner was served. Aragorn had seemed pleasantly surprised to see him and Faramir had been just as amicable as he had been this afternoon. 

Then she had entered the room. Arwen was looking especially lovely this evening, wearing a dark red gown and from this moment on, Aragorn had only had eyes for his fiancé. Legolas decided that dining with Morgoth himself would much better than being forced to listen to the countless compliments Arwen received from Aragorn. Looking up, Legolas noticed that Faramir, who was seated opposite of him, was watching him. Was that pity in his eyes? He was not certain.  

Legolas inwardly sighed with relief when the meal was finally over, he was not sure for how much longer he would have been able to hide how much he was hurting. Not for the first time, he wished that Haldir were there. 
    
    "Aragorn, before I forget, a large supply of wine has been delivered today. Maybe we should test if it meets our high standards, what do you think?" Faramir was looking at Aragorn questioningly. Remembering his manners, he added "That is, if you would not mind doing without his company this evening, my lady?" 
    
    It was obvious to Legolas and everybody else, who had eyes to see, that Arwen _did_ mind, but she could do nothing more than smile polite and wish Aragorn an entertaining evening. 
    
    "Sure, I'd love to. Gavin, why don't you join us as well?" 
    
    A few hours earlier, Legolas would have been ecstatic about Aragorn's invitation, but now he just shook his head, indicating that he was tired. 
    
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    Aragorn could not remember a more horrible dinner than the one he'd just had. He had been more than happy about Gavin's unexpected decision to join them, but Arwen had successfully prevented, that he talked to anyone but her. Not wanting to upset her again so shortly after the last incident, he could not do anything about it. 
    
    Faramir's suggestion had been a perfect opportunity to escape. Aragorn grinned "Testing if the wine met their high standards" meant nothing else than that both men would drink until neither of them was able to spell his own name, exactly what he needed right now. It was just a pity, that Gavin hadn't wanted to join them. 
    
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    Later that evening, Legolas was sitting in the library. He had been in his room, trying to sleep, but had grown restless and hoped, that reading would help to distract his thoughts. It did not. The young prince found himself sitting near a window and gazing at the stars, the book forgotten in his lap. 
    
    Legolas wondered if his family was very upset with him for leaving and for the first time, he wasn't sure that he had done the right thing. *But I didn't have a choice. Father would never understand how I feel and this way, I can at least be close to Aragorn until his wedding.* He refused to think of what would happen after the wedding. 
    
    Thinking of his home, Legolas remembered a song his mother had loved very much. Being mute, he was not able to sing it now but just remembering his mother's voice singing it was a small comfort. 

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you've made my dreams seem like real life

everyone comes true

reality's unfocused, I've lost myself in you

warm me with tender whispers

oh, now enfold me in your arms

hold me these few moments just until sleep comes

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    "It's late, why aren't you asleep."
    
    Recognizing the voice, Legolas turned around to face Aragorn, immediately noticing that the man had quite a lot of wine. Someone less polite than the youngest prince of Mirkwood would say the he was completely drunk and that it was a miracle that he still managed to walk. 
    
    "After dinner, you told me you were tired and now you are sitting here all by yourself. Something is troubling you."
    
    Legolas did not plan on telling about his feelings, but some of his pain must have been visible on his face, for Aragorn suddenly reached out and pulled him into a tight embrace. 

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I feel so safe beside you, your heart next to mine

I want to enjoy this moment till the end of time

so good to feel you by me, good fortune overflows

I willingly surrender, find comfort in your arms

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    It took Legolas some time to realize that Aragorn was actually holding him, but when he finally did, the barrier inside him broke. All the pain and desperation he had been holding back for so long were suddenly flooding his mind all at the same time and he could do nothing more than cry. Not caring if he was seeming weak, Legolas let his tears flow freely.  
    
    He cried for what felt like hours and all the time, Aragorn was soothingly stroking his hair and murmuring words of comfort in his ear. When Legolas had finally calmed down, the man asked again, still stroking his hair 
    
    "I really wish you would trust me with your problem, I only wish to help you."
    
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I'm beside myself with joy

feel I could float away with you

weightless, carefree, deep in love, it's ecstasy

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    Even before the boy shook his head, Aragorn knew that he would not get an answer. Whatever worried Gavin, he was not willing to confide in him. Aragorn felt slightly disappointed that his friend didn't seem to trust him, but even stronger was his desire to comfort the boy, who looked even younger than he normally did, yet at the same time absolutely beautiful with the tears still shining in his eyes. Without thinking, Aragorn leaned closer until their faces were only millimetres away. 
    
    Legolas knew that Aragorn would never act like this without the influence of the wine, but when their lips finally met, it felt so absolutely right, like he had waited for this moment all his life, he was unable to do anything else but return the kiss. 
    
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

rain on me your kiss of fire

call up the storm

the night's so short

take me, I want to be overwhelmed by you

so good to have you here

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    Their kiss had been only brief and when they broke apart, Legolas immediately felt the loss. His mind kept replaying the moment their lips had met and so it took him a while to realize that Aragorn was talking to him, telling him how sorry he was for ignoring him at dinner. 
    
    Aragorn kept talking about everything that came to his mind, both to further distract Gavin from his thoughts and to hide how embarrassed he was about kissing the boy.
    
    Legolas did not know how much time had passed, and he didn't care as long as Aragorn was holding him and talking to him. 
    
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come and tell me all there is to know

I'll never tire of listening

never let you go
    
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    Legolas was well aware, that Aragorn was only holding him like this because he was drunk. Once he was sober again, he would remember that he was betrothed to Arwen and everything would be as it was before. But for now, he refused to think about that and was just enjoying being close to the one he loved with all his heart. If tonight was all he had, he would make the best of it. Suddenly feeling very tired, Legolas snuggled even closer and closed his eyes. 
    
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breathe life into my body and drown me in your arms

hold me these sweet moments just until sleep comes

hold me just until sleep comes

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    So what do you think? Please review. 
    
    
    
    
    **Nina: **Who knows? It might be a complete coincidence that Haldir is called back to Lothlorien exactly when Legolas needs him the most…
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    **Earendilstar: **Why so suspicious about Faramir? Maybe he just feels sorry for Legsi?…ok, not likely ;-) 
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    **Cibi-chan:** *lol* No reason to panic, Thranduil is not that bad. 
    
    
    
    
    **sriekingviolet: **Thanks. I try to make longer chapters, but obviously not very successfully
    
    **whispers of an angel: **Don't worry, there will be more Haldir. 
    
    **Laura:** Nochmal danke :-)
    
    **Glorfindel's Angel of Mercy: ***g*** **That would sum it up. But there is one good thing: It can't get much worse 
    
    **Lord Angelus: **Thanks. Haldir won't be gone forever and as I said, I try to make the chapters as long as possible.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    **the girl who left: **Thank you so much. 
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    **Ziro:** Thanks a lot.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    **Faer: **Thanks. Thranduil will show up sometime close to the end, so you'll have to wait a little longer. 
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    **Renee: **Thank you. 
    
    
    


	20. chapter 20

Disclaimer: Middle Earth belongs to Tolkien/New Line, the original storyline belongs to H.-Chr. 

*thoughts*

"normal speech"

For warnings see chapter one

I appologize for the strange formating in the last chapter, no idea what went wrong. 

Chapter 20 

The sun had already been up for quite some time, but Aragorn and Legolas were still sound asleep. The door was opened and a figure appeared in the door, stopping upon the sight of the two of them lying on the floor. A few more moments passed before the figure turned around and hastily left the library. 

Legolas blinked and tried to remember, why exactly he was lying on a floor in the arms of a man. Slowly, the memories came back. His crying...Aragorn...the kiss...and the fact, that he was currently lying in the arms of the man he loved. Not wanting to disturb Aragorn's, Legolas lay perfectly still, enjoying the closeness. He knew perfectly well that Aragorn would never have acted as he had if he had been more sober, but couldn't bring himself to worry about it right now.

Suddenly, a shocked voice disturbed the peacefull scene. 

"What is the meaning of this?" 

A very shocked Faramir was in the doorway, but Legolas was much more disturbed by the figure standing behind the man. Obviously, Aragorn had finally woken up and, in spite of his hangover, successfully identified his wife-to-be as well, because he was moving away from Legolas rather quickly. 

"Aaaarwen...what are you doing here?"

"Well, _excuse me_ if I disturbed you and your 'friend', maybe I should remove my annoying presence from this place, so that you two can be undisturbed in the future." and with that she would have left, if Aragorn had not held her back. 

"Please, listen to me; it is not as it seems..."

"Isn't it?" Arwen ached an eyebrow, reminding Aragorn very much of her father.

"Gavin was very sad last night, I found him crying and so I tried to comfort him. Well, it was rather late and you know how easily I fall asleep...That is all, please believe me, I would _never _even think about cheating on you."

Arwen was still not completely convinced. "And I am supposed to believe that there is nothing more than friendship between you and that boy?"

"We will marry in a few weeks, how could I possibly be in love with someone else?" Aragorn shook his head, never noticing the pleeding in Legolas' eyes nor the look of despair after his answer. "I am totally enchanted

by you"

Arwen apparently accepted Aragorn's appology and was once more smiling at him. "Maybe I missinterpreted the situation. Come, why don't we take a walk? We have much to discuss, my father will be here in less than two months and..." With that, Aragorn and Arwen left the room, leaving Legolas alone with Faramir. 

Noticing how shocked the other was, Faramir smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Arwen has forgiven Aragorn, they will be fine."

It took Legolas some time to understand, that the man had missinterpreted his reaction and thought that he was worrying about the Aragorn's and Arwen's relationship. He slowly nodded his head and Faramir continued. 

"You still look rather pale. Maybe you would like to join me for a cup of tea?" 

All Legolas wanted was to hide in his room and cry, but it would have been rude to refuse Faramir's offer and so he nodded again. 

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Aragorn knew that he should be listening to Arwen, but he could not. His own words were replaying in his mind. _"I am totally enchanted by you" _ True, he was enchanted by Arwen's beauty, but he was definitely not in love with her, that he knew for certain. He had not been that drunk and clearly remembered everything that had happened last night and he surely remembered how it had felt to kiss Gavin. How could one possibly forget such a feeling of utter completeness? 

Aragorn wondered, what he had done to deserve this. He was betrothed to the most beautiful maiden in Middle Earth and instead of being happy, he fell in love with his best friend who did not even love him back; and to make things even worse, he had taken advantage of the boy's loneliness and kissed him! At least, he'd had enough sense to pretend that he didn't remember and save them both from a very embarassing situation. 

*But what if he returns my feelings?* a small voice in his head asked, but Aragorn refused to allow himself hope. Even if he does, I still have to marry Arwen; Gondor needs this alliance with Rivendell. This way, it will be easier for both of us. 

"Aragorn? Are you listening to me?" 

"Forgive me, I do not feel well. What did you say?"

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"You know, you really look sick. Maybe you should rest a while." 

Too exhausted to do anything else, Legolas stood and let Faramir lead him to his room. He was still surprised that the man actually cared for his well-being, but he was gratefull nonetheless. Still he wished, that Haldir was there, or his brothers. Although he doubted that they knew a cure for a broken heart, their presence would have been comforting. 

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Gavin had stayed in his room for the rest of the day and Aragorn was worried. Looking up from his dinner, Faramir smiled. 

"Don't worry about your friend. He felt slightly sick and went to bed. I am sure he will feel much better tomorrow morning; all he needs is rest." 

Aragorn smiled warmly at his friend. "Thank you. What would I do without you?"

"I believe you would be completely lost, my friend." 

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So what do you think? Please review. 

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Renee: *g* I'd like to keep this PG-13, but feel free to imagine what else might have happened

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Glorfindel's Angel of Mercy: ...and of course you were totally right; things got much worse for Leggy

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Alkvingiel: Aragorn is not cold hearted, he just doesn't know what's good for him. 

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shriekingviolet: Thanks. 

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Earendilstar: I actually rather enjoy torturing Legolas...

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michaela: You started worrying for Legolas after the last chapter? So what do you think after this one? *g* 

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Nina: Actually, their relationship didn't change much, it just got even more messed up

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eck: Exactly my point: men... ;-) 

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Silithril: Thank you so much 

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Lord angelus: Thanks

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angelbird1224: Thank you

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the girl who left: Thanks a lot 

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Faer: Thanks. Who doesn't want to hold Leggy, especially when he's so sad? It's a rather long way from Mirkwood to Gondor, so Thranduil won't come anytime soon. 


	21. chapter 21

Disclaimer: Middle Earth belongs to Tolkien/New Line, the original storyline belongs to H.-Chr.   
  
*thoughts*  
  
"normal speech"  
  
'elvish'  
  
For warnings see chapter one  
  
Finally another chapter! I'm truly sorry for lack of updates, but I've been incredibly busy. I hope you understand.   
  
chapter 21  
  
Legolas didn't see Aragorn for the next few days and he was glad for it. He desperately nedded some  
  
time for himself to figure out what to do. All he wanted was to run far away from Gondor and from Aragorn,   
  
but where was he supposed to go? His first impulse was to return home, but he wasn't sure if he would be  
  
allowed to enter his father's kingdom with his human body. Wouldn't Thranduil hate him for what he had done?   
  
Apart from that, he didn't want his family to see him in his current state and he most certainly didn't want  
  
them to watch him die of a broken heart.  
  
After that fateful morning in the library, Legolas had accepted that his death was inevitable; but he didn't care   
  
anymore. He had known what he was doing when he had accepted Saruman's offer and would gladly do it again  
  
if that meant, that he could be near Aragorn, if only for a short time.   
  
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Aragorn still felt awful, he had spent the past weak trying to convince himself, that he had done the right thing.  
  
During that time, he had successfully avoided meeting Gavin, but he knew that this couldn't go on. He missed  
  
his friend's company and, even more important, he was behaving very selfishly. After all, the boy had no idea what  
  
was troubeling him and was probably concerned that he had unknowingly done something wrong. At least in front  
  
of himself, Aragorn no longer denied that he was hopelessly in love with Gavin and no matter what Faramir or anyone  
  
else told him, this, at least, he knew for sure. But knowing both, that the boy didn't return his feelings and that Gondor   
  
needed the alliance with Rivendell, he had decided to go through with the wedding. After all, Arwen was quite a nice   
  
person when she wasn't jelous. She was beautiful, well-mannered and would make a wounderful queen.   
  
Yes, he was definitely doing the right thing. Then why did he feel like he was just about to make the biggest mistake of his life?   
  
Aragorn shook his head. It was useless to brood about thinks that would never happen. It had taken some time for him to get  
  
his feelings under control, but now he felt that he would be able to face Gavin and act like nothing had happened. He would tell  
  
his friend, that he had been sick and therefor not been able to meet him. Surpressing a sigh, the king of Gondor left his bedroom   
  
to pay a visit to his best friend.   
  
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Saruman was furious. Why had he trust that good-hearted idiot with such an important mission?   
  
"However did you become the king's chief counsellor when you can't even keep that stupid boy away from him?"   
  
"I don't see your problem. Aragorn denied that he ever had feelings for Gavin and will be married to Arwen in less than three month!"   
  
"Yes, but that boy is still there. Do you have any idea how much can happen in tree month? You've got to get rid of him, as fast  
  
as possible."  
  
"What am I supposed to do? I can't force him to leave, he's still the king's best friend."  
  
"There are other ways..."  
  
"I will not hurt Gavin until I am absolutely sure that he is a treat to Gondor or my king." Faramir didn't say that he began to suspect   
  
that Saruman was much more dangerous than Gavin could ever be.   
  
"Oh, that won't be necessary for now." Suddenly, something in Saruman's voice changed and Faramir couldn't   
  
help listening to it. "I think the wedding should take place earlier, maybe in two weeks. You told me that Elrond will arrive tomorrow,  
  
so this shouln't be a problem. I am sure he will be delighted to hear how happy his daughter is in her new home."  
  
"But..."  
  
"What? Worried for the boy? Really, you shouldn't. 'The king's best friend', that is what you called him. Aren't you   
  
supposed to be Aragorn's best friend? Don't you see that boy is only trying to get your king under his influence? Oh, yes,  
  
it's a perfect plan. The king already doesn't know how to live without him and soon, he will make all important decisions in Gondor.  
  
Don't you see? He is using the king as an instrument for his own power. Are you really going to let that happen?"  
  
"I'm not! I will do everything in my power to stop him." Suddenly, all doubts Faramir had had were gone. Now, he felt nothing but   
  
hate for the boy that was playing with Aragorn's feelings. But Gavin would regret it; he, Faramir, would make sure of that.   
  
Saruman watched Faramir disappear on the road back to Gondor, laughing soundlessly. *Oh Legolas, isn't it ironic how easily this  
  
kind man is convinced that you are his greatest enemy, bewitched by *your* lovely voice? I wish I could see your father's face   
  
when he learns of your death*  
  
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Haldir had been riding as fast as possible. He only hoped that he would reach Lothlorien before his beautiful home was completely   
  
destroyed by those foul orcs. His horse was totally exhausted, but he didn't care. All that mattered now, was that his home was safe.  
  
Only a few more minutes and he would be there.  
  
'Haldir! What are you doing here? Weren't you planning to stay in Gondor until the king's wedding?'   
  
Orophin dropped to the ground in front of him, but Haldir didn't answer his brother. Lothlorien was definitely not under attack, which could   
  
only mean that the letter had been a trap to get him away from Gondor. *Legolas*   
  
'Is everythin all right, brother? You look tired; and what ever happened to your horse?'  
  
'I have to get back to Gondor immediately, I'll explain everythin later.' Haldir knew that he had to hurry if he wanted to help his friend. Only   
  
the Valar knew what had happened to Legolas during his absence.   
  
'I don't think so. Haldir, you horse is nearly dead. At least come back to the city and take a fresh horse. You won't come far with this one.'  
  
Knowing, that his brother was right, Haldir nodded.   
  
They walked together in silence. Haldir's thoughts were with Legolas and Orophin knew better than to question his brother. When they   
  
reached the city, they were greeted by a messenger, who requested that Haldir followed him to see the Lady of the Wood. Haldir didn't bother   
  
asking how she knew that he was back.  
  
Haldir was surprised to find that Galadriel was not alone. Her guest was a tall blonde male with amazingly green eyes. He was sure, that they  
  
had never met before, but something about this stranger seemed familiar...   
  
He wasn't too surprised when Galadriel finally spoke. 'This is king Thranduil of Mirkwood. You've probably heard, that he is looking for his   
  
youngest son.'  
  
Haldir nodded.  
  
'About three weeks ago, he recieved an anonymous letter, saying that the prince was in Gondor. You have just arrived from Minas Tirith. Maybe  
  
you can tell us if you have seen any sign of Legolas?'  
  
Haldir swallowed. When he had written that letter, he had only wanted to tell Legolas' family that the prince was save and that there was no need   
  
to worry. He had mentioned a close friendship between Legolas and Aragorn and told that everyone thought him to be a boy called Gavin.   
  
He had, however, kept some minor details to himself, such as the fact that Legolas now had a human body. He'd never   
  
thought that the king would leave his realm to look for his son. * I should have known. What father would ever place his own safety or even that   
  
of his kingdom over his son?* Realizing, that he still had to anser Galadriel's question, he nodded.   
  
'Yes, I have seen him. The prince is in Gondor.' He regretted betraying Legolas, but Thranduil would find out anyway. There was an unreadable   
  
emotion in the king's eyes and Haldir only hoped that it was relief and not anger.  
  
'You have spoken to my son.' This was a statement, not a question and so Haldir did not answer. 'Tell me, why does he prefer the company  
  
of men over that of his own family? Does he still think himself to be in love with that king; and are those humans really stupid enough to believe   
  
he is one of them?'   
  
'I am truly sorry, but this is Legolas' secret and therefor it is him you should ask.'   
  
Strangely enough, Thranduil seemed to be pleased with this answer.   
  
'It seems that my son was right to tell them to you. It is true that he should decide if he wants to confide in me and therefore I will not pressure you.   
  
Just tell me if he is well.'  
  
Haldir slightly relaxed. It was obvious that Thranduil loved his son dearly. Maybe he could still be convinced that Legolas' love was pure and not   
  
some kind of childish obsession and that Aragorn was worthy of those feelings.   
  
'The last time I saw him, he seemed to be very happy.'   
  
Galadriel, who had kept silent during the whole conversation, finally spoke.  
  
'The king will leave for Gondor tommorow morning and has asked me to give him a trustworthy guide to assist him, as he hasn't left his kingdom for   
  
a long time and isn't used to dealing with humans. I would suggest that you accompany him.'  
  
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So what do you think? Please review!  
  
moonlightgodess, Lady Luck, Sairin, the girl who left, Laura, angelbird1224, Renee, Silithril, blue_Sparrow: Thank you so much for your kind reviews!  
  
Anna: No, Faramir's kindness is definitely not pure, but at least Haldir is coming back.  
  
Faer: What can I say? Yes, Faramir is hiding something...  
  
Earendilstar:   
  
michaela: Well, Aragorn already knows heart, but that doesn't really help.   
  
Nina: Elrond will be in the next chapter, Thranduil will arrive later.  
  
cold crystal tears: I can't promise a happy ending, but there is still hope...  
  
whispers of an angel: Did this chapter answer your question? 


	22. chapter 22

Disclaimer: Middle Earth belongs to Tolkien/New Line, the original storyline belongs to H.-Chr.   
  
*thoughts*  
  
"normal speech"  
  
'elvish'  
  
For warnings see chapter one  
  
Chapter 22  
  
Aragorn swallowed nervously. Lord Elrond would arrive shortly and he'd gladly fight a balrog if this meant that he didn't have to face his uncle. So far, nobody, apart from Faramir, had noticed that he wasn't as enthusiastic about the wedding with Arwen as he had been a few months ago. In fact, Aragorn was sure that not even Arwen herself had noticed anything, but then again, she had never been too interested in him or his feelings, so maybe he shouldn't be surprised.   
  
But Elrond was an entirely different matter. The half-elf was highly intelligent and Aragorn was sure that one look at him would be enough for his uncle to guess the truth. He hadn't met Elrond for many years and therefore didn't know him very well, but he had a feeling that Elrond wouldn't be too happy when he found out that the man who was about to marry his daughter was in love with someone else.   
  
At least his friendship with Gavin had returned back to normal. When he had tried to make excuses for not spending any time with his friend during the last weeks, the boy had laughed, indicating that he understood and wasn't angry.  
  
*No, you don't understand*, Aragorn thought grimly, *if you did, you would probably leave Gondor immediately.* But what, if he didn't leave? What if... Aragorn shook his head. Gavin saw him as a good friend, nothing more and even if his feelings were returned, he'd still have to marry Arwen. Gondor needed this alliance and he'd never put his own happyness over the needs of his people.  
  
Still, he looked forward to the evening, when he would meet Gavin again. He was sure, Arwen wouldn't mind spending some time alone with her father. After all, she had been away from home for quite some time and the two of them would have a lot to discuss, his presence would only be disturbing; but he had been neglecting his friend for the last two weeks and it would be more than impolite if he didn't spent any time with him today either.  
  
Aragorn knew very well, that he was trying to find excuses for spending time with Gavin instead of Arwen, but, right now, he didn't care.  
  
A servant interrupted his thoughts, anouncing that Lord Elrond would arrive in five minutes. Some of his nervousness must have shown, because Faramir, who stood behind him, gave him an encouraging sqeeze on the shoulder. Glad for the support, Aragorn took a deep breath to calm himself.   
  
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Faramir bit his lips to keep himself from screaming. Of course he had noticed Aragorn's nervousness before Elrond's arrival and he strongly suspected that it had something to do with that boy. He thanked the Valar, that Arwen hadn't been there. The lady had announced that she didn't feel well and would therefore greet her father in her room. To his relief, Aragorn had managed to act as if nothing was wrong while the half-elf had been around.   
  
After the greeting, Elrond had gone to check on his daughter and he hadn't seen him again until dinner.   
  
There was only one problem: Aragorn wasn't there. He had excused himself, claiming to have an important meeting that couldn't be postponed. It wasn't hard to guess, with whom he was meeting.   
  
Faramir was trying to remain calm, making polite conversation with his guest. Elrond was polite enough to act as if nothing unusual had happened, but Aragorn would have a lot of explaining to do and Faramir hoped that his excuse was good. Even the dumpest person knew that one didn't just vanish when important guests had arrived.The Aragorn he had known all his life would never have done such a thing, but the king hadn't been himself since that boy had arrived.   
  
But this would end now. When Aragorn finally woke up, and realized his mistakes, it would be too late. It was up to him, Faramir, to get rid of the boy quickly, before Elrond noticed anything and cancelled the wedding.   
  
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Elrond was observing his son-in-law-to-be carefully. When Aragorn had skipped dinner yesterday, he had been worried, but Faramir had assured him, that the king was working very hard at the moment. He knew from experience that ruling a kingdom was a lot of work and planning a wedding at the same time seemed a nearly impossible task.  
  
Aragorn definitely looked tired and seemed to have problems to keep his attention on their conversation. Elrond made a mental note to offer his assistance.   
  
Then, he turned his attention back to Aragorn's chief counsellor, Faramir, who had started to speak.   
  
"...and it is rather obvious, that my king and the lady Arwen greatly care about each other. Therefore I think it would be unnecessary to wait three more month. I believe it would be in everyone's best interest if the wedding could take place earlier, maybe in three weeks. We are almost done with the preparations and this way, the celebrations wouldn't collide with the harvest."  
  
"This seems to be a good idea.", Elrond agreed,"I will have to talk to Arwen first, but I do not think there will be any problems. What about you Aragorn?"  
  
Was it his imagination or did Aragorn really hesitate a moment before answering?   
  
"Of course, I want the wedding to take place as soon as possible, but what about the guests? There won't be any time to invite those who don't live in Gondor."  
  
"Oh, but I'm sure they will understand if you tell them, that you prefer the ceremony to take place with only a few people present. We could have a bigger celebration later. I'm sure, Arwen would like that, too."  
  
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Aragorn sighed. Why had he agreed to this? In only three weeks, he would be married to Arwen. But then again, he didn't really have a choice. If he didn't want to tell Elrond about his feelings (which was out of the question), there was no reason to wait any longer.   
  
It didn't really matter anyway, three months more wouldn't change his feelings. Maybe it was even better to do this as soon as possible, as long as he still had the strength to do this.   
  
He knew that he should probably spent some time with his betrothed, but he was too tired to pretend to be in love with her and decided that he preferred to take a walk in the garden.   
  
After all, he would spend the rest of his live with Arwen, what did a few hours more or less matter?  
  
His mood immediately lightened when he noticed the figure sitting under a tree. Gavin didn't seem surprised when he joined him on the ground and simply nodded his head in greeting. It never ceased to amaze Aragorn how Gavin's mere presence was enough to ease his worries.   
  
They sat together silently. Legolas would have liked to know what was troubeling Aragorn, but the man obviously didn't want to talk. So he contented himself with silently offering his support.   
  
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About a week later, Legolas was sitting alone under 'his' tree in the gardens. It was very early and the sun had just appeared over the horizon. Everyone else was still asleep.   
  
He often came here in the morning, enjoying the quietness around him, it gave him time to think.  
  
The last week had seemed so unreal. He had learned that the wedding, and with it his end, had been moved and that Aragorn would be married in two weeks. Elrond had arrived and he had been worried that the half-elf might recognize him, but it seemed like the lord was now organizing the wedding on his own. He rarely left his rooms and Legolas had begun to relax again.  
  
Aragorn seemed to be just as cheerfull as usual and Legolas figured that he had just been nervous because of the wedding. Even with Elrond's help, the man was incredibly busy, and Legolas had offered his help. It was ironic that he should help to prepare the celebration that would seal his fate, but it gave him the opportunity to spend some time with the one he loved and Aragorn seemed to be glad for the help. Legolas had even helped choosing the clothes Aragorn would wear.  
  
*I wonder what he will do when I suddenly disappear after the wedding?*   
  
Had he not been so deep in thoughts, Legolas would probably have noticed the hooded figure that was watching him.  
  
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Faramir was looking around carefully. It seemed like he was alone with the boy, but to be absolutely sure that nobody would see him, he made sure, that the hood he was wearing covered his face. Even if someone decided to take an early walk in the garden, it would be impossible to identify him.   
  
He was so close behind Gavin that he could touch him, if he wanted to, but the boy was too deep in thoughts to notice. *Probably planning how to get the wedding cancelled.* But Faramir would make sure, that he didn't get an opportunity to put his plans into praxis.   
  
For a moment, he hesitated. What if he was wrong and the boy didn't want to hurt Aragorn after all? Maybe he should talk to him first and then decide what to do?  
  
*No! If you do that, you will fall under his spell, just like Aragorn did. You have to act now, or all will be lost.*   
  
The voice in his mind wasn't his own, but Faramir didn't even notice. He remained motionless for a few more seconds before raising his arm almost mechanically. The red beams of the morning sun were reflected by the dagger in his hand.  
  
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I'll try to post the next chapter tonight, otherwise it won't be up until the 21st of August, since I'll be on vacation.   
  
As always: Please review  
  
cold crystal tears: Thanks.  
  
angelbird1224: Thanks a lot.  
  
Renee: Thank you so much.   
  
Faer1: I'd never write a story where Faramir is totally rotten (at least, he's not supposed to be); he's my favourite in the books.   
  
Pretty-Blue-Eyes: Thank you   
  
AralynnEvenstar: Wow *blushes* Thank you so much.   
  
Alkvingiel: I'm afraid Faramir will hurt Lego  
  
Nina: As I said, Elrond's finally arrived. Thranduil will probably be in the next chapter.   
  
Glorfindel's Angel of Mercy: I'm sure Faramir wouldn't normally act the way he does, but Saruman can be quite convincing...  
  
castor: Did I mention that my knowledge in French is rather limited? ;-) Anyway, I have enough friends who can translate, so it's no problem. Thanks.   
  
whispers of an angel: Thanks 


	23. chapter 23

Sorry for the delay. My excuses: school, renovating my room, writer's block etc.   
  
Thank you for your patience.I promise to post the next chapter soon.  
  
Disclaimer: Middle Earth belongs to Tolkien/New Line, the original storyline belongs to H.-Chr.   
  
*thoughts*  
  
"normal speech"  
  
'elvish'  
  
For warnings see chapter one  
  
chapter 23  
  
Faramir smiled. This was almost too easy. Not hesitating any longer, he stabbed , aiming for Gavin's heart.   
  
"What..."   
  
Starteled by the sudden voice behind him, Faramir missed his goal by mere centimetres. Not taking the time to look who exactly had disturbed him, the man fled.   
  
A few minutes later, Faramir had reached the safety of his room, silently thanking the Valar, that he had put on his hood. Aparently, the intruder had been to busy with the boy to follow him. He didn't want to think about what would have happened if he'd been caught. But the risk had been worth it. Faramir knew, that the dagger had missed the boy's heart, but the wound was still serious enough. By now, the boy should be dead. Soon, Aragorn would come to tell him about the 'tragedy'. His king and friend would be desperade.   
  
Suddenly, Faramir was no longer sure if he had done the right thing. Maybe there would have been other ways... Taking a deep breath, Faramir forced himself to calm down. It was useless to think about other ways now. His actions could not be undone and it wouldn't help anyone if he sat here feeling guilty. He had only done what had been necessary in order to keep Gondor and his king safe.   
  
Deciding, that it was time for breakfast, Faramir left his room, hoping that his inner tumult wasn't mirrored on his face.   
  
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Elrond had woken unusually early that morning and decided that there was still time for a short walk in the gardens before breakfast. He was shocked, when he noticed the hooded figure trying to stab someone from behind and shouted a warning. Unfortunately, it was too late.   
  
He wanted to follow the fleeing figure, but decided that it was more important to take care of the victim.   
  
Reliefed, Elrond noticed that the youngster was still alive, but he needed to bring him inside immediately, or else he would loose too much blood.   
  
On the way too the healing houses, he sent a servant to fetch Aragorn.  
  
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It took almost an hour of work and a lot of Elrond's healing power to stop the wound from bleeding, but somehow he managed. His patient was still unconscious when he finished dressing the wound and would be very weak for the next few days, but he would live, and that was all that mattered.   
  
Elrond noticed, that his patient's face was full of mud and started to clean it up, when suddenly his hand froze. Was it really possible or was he imagining things? Holding his breath, he looked again; there was no doubt, he would always recognice this face.  
  
'Legolas, what have you done?'  
  
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Aragorn had been waiting restlessly until Elrond finally allowed him to enter. After recieving Elrond's message, he had immediatel rushed to Gavin's room. He knew that his friend loved to walk the gardens early in the morning before anyone else woke and when he had found the rooms empty, it hadn't been hard to figure out who had been attacked.   
  
Elrond had told him, that the boy would live, but he was still worried. Gavin looked so extremely pale. He would never forgive himself if...   
  
A comforting hand rested on his shoulders and Aragorn was glad for his uncle's help. After long moments of silence, he started to talk, his voice barely audible.   
  
"I don't understand how anyone could do that. He's never hurt anyone...why would anyone want to..."  
  
Not able to hold back his emotions any longer, Aragorn started to cry. For a moment, he had really thought he would lose Gavin.   
  
"Hhhe came hhere with mme about half a year ago. He is... my most trusted friend."  
  
Elrond was shocked to see his usually selfcontrolled nephew cry like that. Obviously, Legolas meant a lot to him, although Aragorn didn't seem to know about his true identity. The young prince would have to answer a lot of questions as soon as he woke up, but now he had to concentrate on Aragorn. Trying to distract him in order to calm him, the elf lord asked: "Is there really nobody who might want him dead?"  
  
"No, why would anyone want that? Most of the time he keeps to himself and he'd never hurt another person..."  
  
While Aragorn explained exactly why Thranduil's youngest son was the most wounderful person on Arda, Elrond had to fight hard to keep himself from roling his eyes. If he didn't knew better, he'd say that Aragorn was in love with Legolas. He could only hope, that the prince had an idea who might have attacked him, as Aragorn obviously wasn't of much help.   
  
Noise could be heared outside the door and a few moments later Faramir burst into the room, a worried expression on his face.  
  
"Aragorn! I just heared about it, is he..."  
  
Looking up, Aragorn managed to give him a weak smile. "No, he is alive, thanks to Lord Elrond, but it was extremely close."  
  
Giving him a warm smile, Faramir said "I am glad to hear that."   
  
Surprised, Faramir noticed that he wasn't lying. For some reason, he really was glad that the boy was still alive. Shocked by this realisation, he quickly excused himself, claiming he had a lot of paper work to do.  
  
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Legolas tried to open his eyes, but found that he was lacking the strength to do so.   
  
Then came the pain. Why was his chest burning like that? Again, he tried to open his eyes, but he felt so weak...  
  
Hours later, Legolas woke up to the sound of two voices talking quietly. In spite of his still slightly clouded mind, he immediately recognized one of them as Aragorn's. But who was he talking to?  
  
Legolas was sure that he had heared this deep, melodic voice before, although he couldn't say to whom it belonged.   
  
Whoever it was, he had a hard time comforting an extremly worried Aragorn.   
  
"...yes, I am sure he will wake up shortly."  
  
"He looks so pale."  
  
Finally comprehending that they were talking about him, Legolas once more tried to open his eyes to let them know he was awake. This time he succeeded.   
  
At first, he couldn't see anything, but soon his vision became clearer; just in time to catch Aragorn's smile when he realized, that Legolas had regained his consciousness.   
  
Suddenly, Legolas noticed the figure behind Aragorn and froze. The man was talking to him, but he didn't hear any of it and just stared at Lord Elrond. The other surely had recognized him, even with this human body. Had he told Aragorn? What would happen now?  
  
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You didn't seriously think I'd let Faramir kill Legolas, did you? Next chapter will probably be the last one. As always: please review. 


	24. chapter 24

"speech"

'elfish'

*thoughts*

Chapter 24

Correctly interpreting the panicked expression on Legolas' face, Elrond slowly shook his head. No, he hadn't told Aragorn about his friend's true identity and he wasn't going to do so, at least not until he had spoken to Legolas in private. 

He even had decided against sending a message to Thranduil; if the prince had decided to go to Gondor as a human, there surely was a very good reason for it and Elrond wasn't going to reveal Legolas' secret to anyone until he knew that reason.  His brows narrowed as he tried to imagine whatever might have possessed Legolas to replace his elfish body with… this. Although Thranduil had asked Elrond to help him find Legolas, the king hadn't given any hints to why the prince had run away in the first place. Elrond was rather sure that there must have been an argument between father and son, but didn't know any details. 

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Time passed by and Legolas was growing stronger with each day. He had been shocked when Aragorn had told him that someone had tried to kill him. Who could hate him so much? He couldn't have possibly insulted anyone so badly, could he? Since his arrival in Minas Tirith almost half a year ago, he had hardly spoken to anyone but Aragorn.

Aragorn…the man continued to puzzle him. Shortly after the attack, he had hardly ever left Legolas' side, but now that he finally felt better, Legolas would only see Aragorn during his short visits after breakfast, which were seldom longer than an hour. Sometimes, when Aragorn was particularly busy, he would not show up at all and only send someone else to excuse himself. Of course, the man had to prepare for his wedding, which would take place in less than a week, but still… Legolas couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. Did Aragorn no longer care for him?

*Oh come on Legolas, stop being stupid. Of course, he doesn't have time for you now that he is about to marry the lady Arwen. Why should he want _you_ if he can have her?*

Legolas laughed, but no sound escaped his lips, which was very fortunate, because the tall man standing there facing the window would surely have wondered about the bitterness of this sound, had he been able to hear it.

But, of course, he couldn't hear it, for Legolas was mute. He was mute because he had hoped to win the heart of a man who would soon marry the most beautiful woman Middle Earth had ever seen. And now, all he wanted was that his attacker came back and finished what he had started. 

But everyone else seemed determined to keep him alive; Aragorn, Elrond and even Faramir…

Legolas was shifting slightly and the sound immediately caught Faramir's attention. The man turned around and smiled at Legolas, as he always did since the 'incident', as everyone called it. Legolas found it hard to imagine that the same man, who was now guarding him almost twenty-four hours a day, had treated him with barely concealed hostility upon his arrival. 

Now, Legolas considered Faramir a very good friend, maybe the only friend he had since Haldir had left. Of course, the man didn't know who he was or why he was here, like Haldir did, but knowing that someone cared for him was still a good feeling. Sometimes, Legolas even thought about telling Faramir the truth, but the man wanted Aragorn to wed Arwen, there was not doubt about that, and Legolas didn't want to risk his friendship by letting him know that he would do almost everything to prevent that wedding.

Faramir was talking, but Legolas was too lost in his thoughts to pay much attention, until…

"…Lord Elrond will check on you before dinner."

He tried not to look too anxious, but meeting the half-elf always frightened Legolas. Up to now, Elrond had not given any indication that he knew about Legolas' true identity, but the prince had never doubted that he did, knowing that Elrond was just waiting for the right moment to address it.

…

In spite of this knowledge, Legolas was still shocked when the moment finally came. First, Elrond had examined his wound as usual, assuring him, that it was healing extremely well.

'Perhaps, you still posses some of your natural healing-ability, which wouldn't be too surprising, as a part of you will always be elfish. No matter what you do, you cannot change that…'

The words, though spoken calmly, made Legolas feel as if he had been hit; but when he finally dared to meet the others eyes, he found nothing but kindness.

'When I recognised you, I tried to find out why you would give up your heritage and your home to life a human life, but I wasn't able to find a reason… until I realized something. Of course, it might be possible that you were just sick of your life in Mirkwood, that you were just looking for a change, but I do not think so; you are, if I may say so, born to be a prince. You don't just run away from your responsibilities to find some adventure. And even if it was like that, Thranduil surely wouldn't have objected, had you requested to journey Middle Earth for some time. No, there must be another reason why you are here, something more…personal.' 

Seeing how Legolas grew tenser with each word, Elrond smiled. So he had been right.

'Once I knew what to look for, it was quite obvious. I can understand why your father would try to prevent this, he has always been distrustful when it came to humans; but I also admire your courage. Not everyone would be ready to give up everything in order to be with the one he loves. What I don't understand is, why you haven't told him, yet. You are not planning to remain quiet for the rest of your life, are you?'

Realizing that pretending Elrond was wrong would be useless, Legolas just shrugged his shoulders. Was the half-elf really suggesting that he _told_ Aragorn?

'Don't look at me as if I had two heads, your feelings for each other are quite obvious…'

For each other? Did this mean that Aragorn…

'…and I must say that you chose wisely. He is a fine warrior and he has a noble heart. Just tell him, I am sure Faramir will not reject you.'

Without another word, Elrond turned and left the room. Therefore, he did not see Legolas collapse on the bed. Elrond thought he was in love with _Faramir_? Faramir did spend a lot of his time keeping Legolas company, but that didn't mean that he felt anything else than friendly concern for the elf, did it? 

Suddenly, another thought crossed Legolas' mind. If Elrond thought that he and Faramir were in love, wasn't it possible that Aragorn had reached the same conclusion?

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_The day before the wedding…_

Arwen was looking at Aragorn expectantly, waiting for him to answer her question, but the man kept staring at the wall. Apparently, he had forgotten that she was even there. 

"Aragorn?!" 

"Oh, please forgive me, I am just…"

"…tired?" the lady suggested, nodding in understanding. "If you want to go to sleep, we can finish our discussion tomorrow."

Relieved that Arwen was not angry with him, Aragorn bid her good night and left the room. Arwen watched him leave and then turned towards the window. Many people only saw her beauty and thought her to be just as innocent and naïve as she looked, but although Arwen tended to be a bit vain at times, she certainly wasn't stupid. Not for one moment did she believe that Aragorn was tired, his mind was just too troubled to pay attention to what she was saying. She had been watching her husband-to-be for quite some time now and one had to be blind to not notice his lack of enthusiasm when their wedding was concerned. 

No matter what anyone else told her, this was definitely not only the usual nervousness before such a great event. No, there had to be another reason and something told her that said reason had long blonde hair and blue eyes. 

Sighing, Arwen turned away from the window. Her hands were shaking slightly, but the look on her face was determined. Finally, she had made up her mind. 

'I really don't want to do this, but there is no other way.' Once more assuring herself that she did the right thing, Arwen left the room.

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_Well, obviously, this is not the final chapter, but we're getting closer to the end. Thanks to all those who reviewed and urged me to continue with this story. I'm really sorry it took me to months to write this, but school has been really hard…Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Special thanks goes to Naitriab, whose review inspired Elrond's conclusion._

_As always: Please review and tell me what you think!_

Koi: Danke für das Lob, ich hab mich auch bemüht, die Charaktere so buchgetreu wie möglich zu schreiben. Dein Angebot ist echt lieb, aber ich hatte ganz einfach keine Zeit zum Schreiben. Trotzdem vielen Dank.

little-tenshi: Danke für das Lob! Freut mich, dass es dir gefällt.

Lyn: Thank you for pointing out some of my mistakes. to lose is one of those words I always misspell, but I'll try to remember.

Naitriab: Interesting idea! Not really what I had in mind, but it still a very good idea

Child of Magick, TheTrueSilver, Magical Rainflier, Hana-Heart, Alkvingiel, Mayrana, leggie lover (who reviewed twice), moonlightgodess, Nina, angelbird12241, Haruka-hime, Curious Dream Weaver, guess, Iara, madkornfan, Laura, Legolas19,  Burning tree, George1, whispers of an angel: Thank you so much. I'm glad you like my fic so far.


	25. chapter 25

Chapter 25

Finally, the long-awaited, or (in some cases) dreaded day had come. Today, Aragorn would take lady Arwen as his wife, thusly forming a strong alliance between the kingdom of Gondor and Rivendell. It was a day of celebration and as if to confirm this, the sun was shining brightly.

But not everyone was able to enjoy this truly wonderful day, least of all the boy who used to be the youngest prince of Mirkwood. To Legolas, the sunshine seemed to be there only to mock the sadness in his heart. Seeking to get away from the cheerful voices, he had ventured out of the city and finally reached to ruins of Osgiliath, the former capital of Gondor, which had been destroyed by orcs a long time ago. Legolas smiled, remembering how Aragorn used to tell him about the great events of the past while they were sitting in front of the fire. Back then, Legolas had been happy, still under the illusion that he might one day gain Aragorn's love. 

Things had changed since then and now he was aimlessly wandering through the ruins alone; not even a bird was there to keep him company. The silence was almost eerie, but Legolas found some measure of comfort in it, thinking that it fit his mood.

After a while, he sat down on a hill, from where he had an excellent view of the landscape surrounding Osgiliath. First, his gaze fell to the vast plains in the North. Even for his sharp elven-eyes, the distance would have been to great, but he knew somewhere far behind those seemingly endless lands lay Mirkwood, his home. Whispering a silent goodbye to the wind, he turned away, now facing the West, where in a few hours the sun would vanish. As soon as the sun had completely disappeared, his life would end, he knew that, but couldn't bring himself to care.

Judging from the position of the sun, it was around noon. *So the ceremony is already over. Aragorn is now wed to Arwen. * ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Around noon, two riders were quickly approaching Minas Tirith, both of them wearing grey cloaks that hid their faces. The sun was still shining brightly and no cloud was covering the azure sky, but when the two riders passed the ruins of Osgiliath, a single breeze caressed the grass.

The two riders stopped instantly, both of them listening carefully. After some time, one of them continued towards Minas Tirith, while the other turned to ride into the direction of Osgiliath

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Aragorn was tapping his foot impatiently –a habit he had taken up from Arwen. Although he had barely slept last night, he was now very much awake and wanted to get over with the wedding as soon as possible. Where were Arwen and Faramir? *And where is Gavin? * What was taking them so long? The longer he waited, the stronger became the uneasiness in his heart that has kept him from sleeping. Trying to force it down, the king of men briefly closed his eyes.

Upon reopening them, he gave a small gasp of surprise, seeing Arwen stand right in front of him. 

'So deep in thoughts that you don't even notice it when the woman you are about to marry enters the room?' Relieved, Aragorn noticed that she was smiling gently. 'What were you thinking about?' 

'You…us…the wedding. I…can't wait until we are finally wed.' Aragorn's nervousness increased, seeing her smile widen.

'You are a terrible liar, my dear Aragorn. One would have to be blind to miss how you tense every time this wedding is mentioned. This should be the most wonderful day of our lives, but you look as if you were attending a funeral. Why will you not tell me what troubles you?'

'Please forgive me, I don't know what's wrong with me…'

'Oh, but I think I do. That is why I came here. We need to talk.'

'But the ceremony will start soon, and we should not be late at our own wedding. Can't this wait until later?'

'No, it can't. We need to talk _now._' 

Realizing that there was no point in arguing with Arwen, Aragorn nodded his head. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Faramir was scanning his surroundings carefully. He let out a sigh of relieve when he finally noticed a slim figure sitting under a tree on a small hill. He had noticed Gavin leaving the city and, following a sudden impulse, decided to follow him. But now he hesitated, not sure if his company was welcome. The boy obviously wanted to be alone, why else would he have chosen to come here?

Sensing that someone was watching him, Legolas lifted his head to meet Faramir's worried gaze. Wondering why the man would follow him here when he should be attending the feast, the prince nodded his head in greeting, inviting the man to join him. 

Reaching Gavin, Faramir was shocked to see the deep sadness in those blue eyes. Acting instinctively, he wrapped his arms around the boy, offering as much comfort as he could.

Feeling strong arms wrap around him, Legolas stiffened for a moment until he allowed himself to relax. When Aragorn had told him he would marry Arwen, the prince had smiled; none of his feelings had reached the surface when Aragorn had described the details of the ceremony to him; but now that Faramir was trying to comfort him, he could control himself no longer and started to cry, not caring what the man would think of him.

Realising that the boy was crying, Faramir tightened his hold on him. "Shh… please don't cry. I do not know what troubles you so greatly, but I am sure everything will be all right in the end…If only I knew how I can help you."

Legolas shook his head. He appreciated the comfort that was given to him, but no one could help him, he knew that. Still, it was good to know that he was not alone.

Faramir did not know what to do. He was an excellent advisor, but how was he supposed to deal with a problem when he did not even know what was wrong. All that he knew was that he would do everything in his power to make Gavin feel better. It felt just wrong that one so gentle should endure so much pain. 

Guiltily, Faramir remembered that he had also hurt the boy, but he would try to make it up to him. 

Faramir noted with relief that the sobbing had finally stopped. 

"Get away from him! NOW!"

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Aragorn was shifting uneasily, having no idea what to expect. 'Arwen, I… Could you please tell me what this is all about?'

'Don't you understand? This is about you. I may not be as intelligent as my father, but _I_ have eyes to see; and when I look at you, I see honour and kindness, I see a king who is willing to sacrifice his own happiness in order to keep his people save and I see a man who is deeply in love. You are everything I ever wanted in a man and so much more, but there is one problem: You don't love me.'

'Arwen…'

'No, please don't say anything. You know I am right. You don't love me and you probably never did, at least not like a man should love his wife. To be completely honest, I don't think I really love you either. I was in love with the thought of being in love, nothing else. 

There is only one thing I would like to know. It was only yesterday that I admitted the truth to myself, only then did I realise that my feelings for you cannot be described as love. But you have been acting strangely around me for several months; since I came here I noticed that something was different…you were different. So tell me, why did you still pretend that you loved me when your heart belonged to someone else? Why marry me?'

For a long time, Aragorn could only stare at Arwen in disbelief. Normally, she seemed so young and carefree, but now he saw wisdom in her eyes that reminded him of Elrond. 

He knew that Arwen was telling the truth, but how could he explain his behaviour to her? 

'I did not want this to happen, please believe me, I never wanted to hurt you…'

'I already told you that there is no need to worry for me.'

'…but I also had to think about Gondor. Orc attacks are increasing and we do not have the strength to fight them off much longer. We need the alliance with your father's realm, to defend our lands…'

'And you think that forcing yourself and my daughter into a loveless marriage is the right way to achieve such an alliance?'

Aragorn spun around in shock upon hearing Elrond's voice. He had not noticed the half-elf enter. Behind Elrond, he noticed a figure in a grey riding-cloak. Realising that he had not yet answered Elrond's question, he forced himself to meet the others grey eyes.

'I did not know what else to do.' Aragorn was searching the other for any kind of reaction to the fact that he had betrayed him and his daughter but found none. What was he supposed to do now? Elrond had doubtlessly heard most of their conversation, so there was no point in denying that he did not love Arwen. Would they understand that he had only done what he thought was best for his people?

'Do you think so little of me?' At this question, Aragorn looked up in confusion.

'Do you really think I would let those foul beings invade Gondor just because you don't want to marry Arwen? To act like this, one would have to be extremely cruel and selfish indeed. Do you think of me as selfish and cruel?'

'No, but I thought…'

'You think too much, or perhaps not enough. I still remember the times when you were but a child; you used to come and visit us every summer and during a thunderstorm, you would hide under your bed. Aragorn, you are my _nephew_ and I love you. I would never turn you down when you are in need of help, don't you know that.'

Finally comprehending the meaning of those words, Aragorn smiled hesitantly. 'Forgive me, I was a fool.'

'There is nothing to forgive, we all make mistakes from time to time.'

'I really hate to disturb, but I would like to know where Legolas is.' The stranger that had accompanied Elrond had taken off the hood and Aragorn noticed with amazement, that he was an elf. Something about his face and the long blonde hair seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't quite explain why.

'Legolas? I have never heard that name before, but if you tell me who you are…'

He was interrupted by a servant who had come to ask what he should tell the waiting wedding-guests. For a moment, the man hesitated, unsure of what to do; then Arwen announced that she would take care of the guests. Elrond also excused himself, which left Aragorn alone with the unfamiliar elf who was looking at him as if trying to see into his soul.

'Tell me, is it true what you just said? That you only wanted to marry Arwen to keep your lands safe?

'Yes.'

'But you love someone else?' Aragorn was not in the habit of discussing his feelings with strangers, but something told him to answer to this strange elf.

'Yes.'

'Who?'

'A friend of mine that came with me to Gondor about half a year ago…'

'How do you know you really love him? Why are you so sure this feeling will not pass, given enough time?'

'I just know it. Whenever I close my eyes, I see his face. I feel incomplete when he is away. Words cannot describe the feelings he woke in me. When he was hurt…'

'Hurt?!'

'Someone tried to stab him with a knife, only three weeks ago.' Confused, Aragorn noticed that the other was shaking. 'But why do you ask all this? Do you know him? Do you know Gavin?'

'Gavin…Yes, I know him. He is my son.' 

'Your son? But you are an elf and he is human!'

'No, he is not…His appearance might be that of a human, but he is still Legolas, my son.'

'I don't understand.'

'Of course you don't. Let me explain. My people life in Mirkwood, we have been avoiding contact to the rest of Middle Earth for several centuries, but upon reaching maturity, every citizen is allowed to venture outside of my realm to explore different countries. There is only one rule: Contact to everyone who is not of elfish blood must be avoided at all costs. But Legolas broke this rule. He happened to see a man being attacked by a pack of orcs and unable to turn away, he came to the man's aid. Fortunately, the man was unconscious and therefore didn't see him, but my son was fascinated with the human. He followed him for some time and even came to the man's home on several occasions to watch him.

Never did he reveal himself to the man, but with every moment he spent near him, he fell more and more in love.'

Aragorn's eyes widened as he remembered something. 'When I was attacked by orcs, I became unconscious during the fight. When I woke up, my men were there and I believed they had chased them away, but there were arrows…arrows of a making I had never seen before… Do you mean to tell me that it was your son that saved my life?'

Thranduil nodded. 'Yes, but this is only the beginning…

…

'…So now that you know Legolas loves you, what are you going to do?' 

Thranduil had told the man everything that had happened. When he had left Mirkwood, his intention had been to bring Legolas back home, but he had changed his mind. Aragorn's willingness to sacrifice himself for the sake of his people had made a great impression on the Woodland-king, greater than the most passionate vows of love could have done; and, like Arwen, he could see the man's love for his son in his eyes. Who was he to stand in the way of true love?

'Whatever he is going to do, he should decide quickly, as there are only five minutes left until the sun has completely disappeared behind the horizon.'

Saruman was standing in the doorway, watching them with unconcealed scorn.

'The wedding was cancelled. You have no more power over my son.'

'Oh, do you think so? Well, I really hate to crush your hopes, but the thing is…Legolas _believes_ that his beloved Aragorn is wed, that should be quite enough to break his heart, don't you think? Of course, if you reach him in time to tell him…, but as you have absolutely no idea where he is, I fear our dear prince will lose his life after all. Sad, isn't it? Now please excuse me, but I don't want to miss this…' 

Cruel laughter echoed through the room as Saruman vanished in grey cloud.

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Faramir released the boy, ready to defend them against any evil that might try to attack, but soon his features relaxed, recognising that their 'attacker' was no one else but Haldir. 

Still, the elf seemed rather furious, so Faramir judged that it would be better to explain his actions.

"He came here all by himself and I followed to see if he was all right."

Haldir's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "When I left, you were ready to do anything to get him out of the city. And wasn't it you that made me leave by sending a false message?"

"I cannot deny this, but now I regret my actions. I thought that Gavin was a danger to Aragorn, but now I see that I was wrong. I want to help."

Deciding to believe the man for now, Haldir turned his attention towards Legolas, shocked to see him in such a state. The once golden hair was now grey and full of dust; the blue eyes were swimming with tears. But there was something else…

Kneeling in front of Legolas, he searched the other's eyes. "Aragorn is wed to Arwen, is he not?" It was not more than a whisper, so quiet that Faramir had almost missed it. But the elf was not looking at him. 

"Yes. I wasn't able to attend, as I was following Gavin, but the ceremony took place this morning."

"Then I have come too late."

"But I don't understand…"

"No, you don't understand! You don't understand anything! You decided that Legolas was a danger to the kingdom without ever giving him a chance to proof himself!" Trying to control his anger, Haldir stood. He tried to remind himself that Faramir had only done what he had thought was best for his king, but right now he didn't care. The only thing that mattered was that Aragorn had made a terrible mistake. And Legolas would have to pay the price.

"Won't you tell me what is happening? I know I made mistakes, but I would like to understand. Who is he? And why do you call him Legolas?"

Legolas nodded to show that he wanted Haldir to tell. Faramir had been there for him when he was alone and therefore deserved to know the truth.

And so Haldir started to tell everything that had happened, beginning with the first time Legolas had seen Aragorn. When he had finished, Faramir was looking at Legolas in amazement. 

"So…he is an elf? And he saved Aragorn's life, after that he became human to be able to see Aragorn again, and now he is dying because Aragorn is married to Arwen?"

"Exactly."

"But isn't there anything we can do to help? This is not right."

"No, it is not right, but there is absolutely nothing we can do about it now. It's too late."

"I am so sorry…please forgive me, I did not know what I was doing."

"This is not your fault alone. You didn't know this wedding would kill him."

"You don't understand…it was me…I…I tried to kill him. Gav…Legolas, it was me who stabbed you with that knife."

"You did WHAT?" Only the hold Legolas had on his arm kept Haldir from throwing himself at the man. 

"I didn't know what I was doing, you must believe me. If I could change the past, I would, but Saruman said it was the only way…"

"Saruman! So this was his doing. I should have known he would do anything to keep Legolas away from Aragorn. Well, he must be extremely pleased with you for serving him so well."

"No, he is not." Faramir didn't dare to look at the two elves in front of him as he spoke. "He is not pleased, because I failed him. I did not succeed in killing Legolas, for which I am glad, I did not even succeed in keeping him and Aragorn apart, not really. I could convince him to go through with the wedding, but he does not love Arwen, he never did." Taking a deep breath, Faramir continued, now meeting Legolas' questioning eyes. "From the moment he brought you here, I knew it, it was in his eyes when he looked at you, it was in his voice every time he spoke your name. Legolas, Aragorn loves you with all his heart, never doubt that." 

And as he spoke those words, the last rays of sunlight disappeared behind the horizon.

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Aragorn was beginning to grow desperate. His servants were searching the whole city for any signs of the boy *elf* he corrected himself, but so far without result. It was growing dark and he had the terrible feeling that he came to late to save his beloved. Oh, why had he never told Legolas how he really felt about him? If only he had known…

'Don't give up hope, we may yet find him. Saruman has told lies before.' 

'But we have searched the whole city! He is neither in his rooms nor in the gardens. I even checked Haldir's old quarters…' 

Thranduil's sharp intake of breath interrupted Aragorn. 'Haldir! I forgot about him! We met in Lothlorien and he agreed to accompany me here. Shortly before we reached the city, he suddenly felt the need to ride to Osgiliath, why, I do not know. But he should have reached Minas Tirith by now.'

'Osgiliath! Of course, it would be a perfect hiding place for someone who wishes to be alone. We must go there immediately!'

'I don't think that will be necessary.'

Upon hearing Saruman's voice, Aragorn spun around, ready to kill the evil wizard.

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Legolas had heard most of Faramir's speech without really caring what the other had to say, he could not even bring himself to react to the knowledge that Faramir had tried to kill him. But one sentence rang clearly through his clouded mind. "…Aragorn loves you with all his heart…." This could not be true, but then again, why should Faramir lie to him? "…Aragorn loves you…"

"He loves me?" The voice was soft, barely audible, but it was definitely there and both the elf and the man stared at Legolas in amazement, disbelief and newly found hope clearly visible in their faces. 

"Yes, he does. But you…you speak, but your appearance is still that of a human."

"I am not sure, but it seems that the spell is weakening, perhaps because I now know that Aragorn loves me."

"Still, as Aragorn is married, you should be dead by now."

"_If_ he is married," Haldir interrupted "which I sincerely doubt. Aragorn loves Legolas, you say, and as Legolas obviously is very much alive, there is only one possibility: the ceremony must have been cancelled there is no other explanation."

"But then I must go to him!" Legolas jumped up from the ground and steps into the direction of Minas Tirith with Haldir and Faramir following.

"No!" Unable to watch how all his plans vanished into nothing, Saruman left his hiding-place in order to attack the prince.

None of them could later explain how it happened. Was it a mere coincidence or the same force that had caused Haldir to head for Osgiliath? Suddenly, the wizard tripped over a stone and fell to the ground. During the fall, let go off his staff, which landed directly in front of Haldir. Without hesitation, he picked it up and without taking his eyes from his fallen enemy, he gave it to Legolas. 

'My prince, I believe this staff is much to heavy for such an old man. Perhaps we should free him from this weight, what do you think?'

As an answer, a loud crack could be heard as Legolas broke the staff in two and threw it as far away as he could.

'Let's go, we have already wasted enough time here. I can't wait to talk to Aragorn.' Smiling in understanding, Haldir nodded. 'You can take my horse, Faramir and I will follow.'

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'You are alive' Slowly, Aragorn reached out to touch Legolas' face, afraid that his beloved might vanish as soon as he reached him. But he didn't. Legolas stayed exactly where he was, his eyes shining with joy.

'But your voice, I thought…'

Unsure if he should laugh or scream, the prince rolled his eyes. This wasn't exactly the romantic promise of eternal love he had expected, but then again, this was Aragorn and the man had never been good at expressing his feelings. 'Exactly, _my_ voice. Saruman only used it to manipulate people.'

'…and you gave it to him, only to be with me. I have been such a fool, how could you ever forgive me? I don't know what to say…'

'Tell me, do you love me? And don't even think about lying to me.'

'Of course I love you, I have loved you from the moment I first saw you and I promise to prove it to you, if only…' Aragorn never got a chance to finish his sentence, as he was silenced by a pair of soft lips on his.

Realising that his reunion with Legolas would have to wait, Thranduil silently left the room to give the two lovers some privacy.

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_…a few weeks later_

Summer had come to the land and the people of Gondor had finally accepted that they would not get a queen after all. But there were few who complained, as none had ever seen their king that happy. It was obvious for everyone with eyes to see that Aragorn and the blonde elf-prince were made for each other.

How their king had met his beautiful companion, they did not know, as only a few remembered the quite boy that had come to Minas Tirith more than eight moons ago and even fewer were able to guess the truth, or at least part of it. But everyone knew that those two were deeply in love and they felt happy for their king.

In spite of the calling-off of the wedding, Gondor had formed an alliance with Rivendell and another with Mirkwood, the rediscovered realm of king Thranduil.

Standing on the balcony of his chamber, Faramir had a perfect view of the gardens, where he could see two figures on the grass, one resting his head on the other's lap. Legolas had forgiven him his past actions, as he had been under the spell of Saruman. It would take a while for them to built a real friendship, but all they needed was time.

Strong arms encircled his waist and he leaned back against his lover. "They look good together, do they not? I really hope they will be happy."

"Oh, I am sure they will." Haldir chuckled softly. "Those two are meant to be together and no spell, however powerful it may be, could keep them apart. It might take some time, but love always finds a way."

~The End~

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_So this is the end, I really hope you liked it. Please, tell me what you think. _

_Anyway, I would like to thank everyone who read and reviewed this story. I would never have finished this without you, so thanks to everyone._

Krystal Ara Malfoy, Jasini, Michelle, angelbird12241, Faer1, Legolas19, Iara, Nina, shriekingviolet, Bonnie Lass, Dur En Thurin Naur, MyGirlCrais,  Hana-Heart: Thank you all so much. I hope the ending did not disappoint you

Magical Rainflier: Actually, that's the version I based this fic on. The original idea was that Legolas died in the end, but I just couldn't bring myself to kill Leggy

Forsaken^On3: No offence taken! I myself got the feeling that this was getting a bit too long.


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